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THE  KING.' 


THE   ANCIENT   CIBOLA. 


THE  MARVELLOUS  COUNTRY, 

OR, 

THREE  YEARS  IN  ARIZONA  AND  NEW  MEXICO. 

CONTAINING 

AX     AUTHENTIC     HISTORY     OF    THIS    WONDERFUL     COUNTRY    AND    ITS 

AXCIEXT    CIVILIZATION,    WITH    A    FULL    DESCRIPTION    OF    ITS 

IMMENSE  MINERAL  WEALTH,  ITS  REMARKABLE  URBAN 

ANTIQUITIES    AXD    MAGNIFICENT    MOUNTAIN 

SCENERY,   TOGETHER  WITH  A   FULL 

AXD  COMPLETE  HISTORY  OF 

THE   APACHE   TRIBE 

OF  INDIANS; 

THE    WHOLE    INTERSPERSED    WITH 

STRANGE  EVENTS  AND  STARTLING  ADVENTURES. 


BY 


SAMUEL  WOODWORTH  COZZEXS. 

i  i 


Jllnstrateb  bg  more  than  One  Jiunbrtb 


BOSTON: 
LEE   AXD    SHEPARD. 

LONDON:    SAMPSON  LOW,  MARSTON,  LOW  &  SEARLE. 
PARIS:    G1RNIER  FRERES. 


O. 


copraiciiT  .- 

3AMUEL     VOOmvORTII     COZZENS. 

A.   D.  1376. 


TO    THE 

PIONEERS   OF  ARIZONA, 

AND    ESPECIALLY 
TO   THOSE   SONS   OF  NEW   ENGLAND   WHO   HAVE   SOUGHT,   AND   MAY    SEEK,   HOMES 

BENEATH    HER    SUNNY    SKIES, 
THIS    VOLUME    IS    RESPECTFULLY    INSCRIBED    HV 

THE    AUTHOR. 


PREFACE. 


THIS  book  will  acquaint  the  reader  with  the  strange  and 
wonderful  history  of  a  most  marvellous  portion  of  our  own 
country. 

It  is  compiled  from  the  journal  of  a  traveller,  and  is  with 
out  pretension  to  especial  literary  merit;  but  it  is  offered  to 
the  public  with  the  belief  that  he  who  reads  its  pages  will 
find  many  facts  that  are  new  to  him,  so  interspersed  with 
incident  of  travel  and  adventure  that  its  perusal  will  prove 
both  entertaining  and  instructive. 

THE   AUTHOR. 


LIST   OF   ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PAQB 

FRONTISPIECE  — THE  KING. 

ILLUSTRATED  TITLE-PAGE  — DR.  PARKER  AT  THE  BOTTOM  OF  THE  CANON. 

A  SPANISH  WARRIOR  OF  THE  IGTH  CENTURY 29 

FATHER  KINO 40 

AN  APACHE 46 

A  NATURAL  SANDSTONE  FORMATION  (full  page) 52 

THE  BURIAL  OF  LAWS  (full  page) 54 

A  MOQUIS 56 

Los  ORGANOS  MOUNTAINS             60 

A  CITY  NOT  MADE  WITH  HANDS  (full  page) 64 

THE  FORTUNATE  SHOT •       .  66 

DR.  PARKER 69 

THE  BEAR  HUNT  (full  page) 72 

JIM  DAVIS,  THE  EMIGRANTS'  FRIEND 81 

INITIAL  (T) 83 

COCHISE 85 

HOWLY  MOTHER  I  is  THAT  AN  APACHE  ? 88 

A  DESERTED  APACHE  HUT 97 

JIMMY 99 

LOWER  PORTION  OF  THE  CANON  (full  page) 106 

THE  APACHE'S  HOME 108 

INITIAL  (A) 114 

SOAP  AND  WATER 115 

MEETING  OF  MANGUS  COLORADO,  COCHISE  AND  THE  AUTHOR      .       .       .       .118 

THE  SCALP  DANCE  (full  page)        .              124 

A  NAVAJOE .  127 

THE  COUNTRY  ON  THE  HEAD  WATERS  OF  THE  GILA  (full  page)        ...  132 

CAPTURE  OF  JIMMY  BY  THE  INDIANS  (full  page) 136 

JIMMY  REFUSES  TO  "INTER"  THE  CRACK 140 

A  VASE  TAKEN  FROM  THE  SACRED  SPRING  AT  ZUNI 143 

THE  WHEEL  SCENE .150 

THE  MISSION  OF  SAN  XAVIER  DEL  BAG  (full  page) 156 

KILLED  BY  APACHES  .              162 

I  RETURN  TO  CAMP  WITHOUT  MY  HAT 164 

THE  BISHOP  OF  SONORA 172 

JIMMY'S  TRIAL 179 

INITIAL  (A) 184 

RUINS  OF  THE  CASAS  GRANDES  IN  1859  (full  page) 190 

PLAN  AND  ELEVATIONS— (3  cuts) 191 

INITIAL  (T) 199 

MAP  SHOWING  THE  AUTHOR'S  ROUTE 204 

CAPT.  SWELL'S  PURSUIT  OF  THE  APACHES 209 

THE  STAMPEDE 218 

INITIAL  (B) T       .       .  220 

THE  BEST  SHOT  I  EVER  MADE  (full  page) 228 

THE  CEREUS  GRANDES .  233 


8  LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATIONS. 

PAGE 

INITIAL  (T) 235 

A  MIRAGE  ON  THE  GRAND  PLATEAU  (full  page) 236 

UPPER  PORTION  OF  THE  CANON  (full  page) 248 

THE  APPROACH  TO  THE  APACHE  PASS  (full  page)  .                            ...  25s 

INITIAL  (A) 263 

VIEW  OP  PECOS 268 

KIT  CARSON 271 

THE  Rio  GRANDE  AND  JIMMY  ON  A  BENDER       .       .             ...  277 

INITIAL  (A) 279 

A  NEW  MEXICAN  SHEPHERD 2^1 

JIMMY'S  DEER  HUNT  (full  page) 2»4 

ACOMA 286 

THE  ACOMA  BELLE .  iw 

THE  PUEBLO  OP  LAOUNA  (full  page) 2:t2 

JIMMY  IN  TROUBLE 295 

INITIAL  (O) 300 

A  PANTHER  HUNT o02 

EL  MORO  (full  page) 3»6 

FROM  INSCRIPTION  ROCK -;07 

THE  EAGLES  OF  ZUNI 312 

THE  CACIQUE 315 

THE  SACRED  SPRING  AT  ZUNI 322 

DON  RAFAEL 329 

JIMMY'S  ARREST 333 

THE  PUEBLO  OF  ZUNI  (full  page) 336 

ZUNI  ALTAR  AND  INCANTATION  SCENE 340 

TENAJA  TAKEN  FROM  THE  RUINS  OF  OLD  ZUNI 342 

A  DRINKING  VESSEL  FROM  OLD  ZUNI 343 

EARTHEN  SPOON  FROM  OLD  ZUNI 344 

A  COYOTE 345 

STTEN'S  PEAK  BY  MOONLIGHT  (full  page) 356 

INITIAL  (W) 360 

BURIAL  SCENE 368 

OUR  FIGHT  WITH  THE  NAVAJOES  (full  page) 374 

JIMMY'S  MOONLIGHT  STROLL 377 

INITIAL  (A) 384 

GUILTY  OR  NOT  GUILTY 400 

I  FALL  THREE  HUNDRED  FEET  (full  page) 410 

A  MOUNTAIN  GOAT 414 

JIMMY'S  MOTHER-IN-LAW 418 

INITIAL  (U) 432 

RUINS  IN  CANON  DE  CHACO  (full  page) 437 

AN  EARTHEN  BOWL  FROM  PENASCA  BLANCA 440 

INITIAL  (I) 452 

THE  MOQUIS  PUEBLOS  (full  page) 464 

THE  GREEN-CORN  DANCE  (full  page) 468 

INITIAL  (H) 472 

WE  TREAT  JIMMY  FOR  A  NEW  DISEASE 475 

MR.  STEWART 492 

A  DRINKING  VESSEL  FROM  ZUNI 501 

A  PUEBLO  RESTORED  (full  page) 504 

JUANITA 510 

A  GROUP  OFV  APACHES 513 

THE  MEETING  ON  BROADWAY  532 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER     I. 

PAOB 

.'he  Marvels  of  the  New  World.  —  Cortez  in  Mexico.  —  Mon- 
tezuma's  Wealth.  —  The  Kingdom  of  Cibola.  —  Montezuma's 
Treasure-house.  —  The  Spanish  Conqueror's  Expedition  to 
Cibola.  —  Father  Niza's  Exploration  in  1535.  —  Coronado's 
Expedition  in  1540.  —  The  Jesuits.  —  Father  Kino's  Visit 
to  the  Country,  1658.  —  The  Cross  his  only  Protection ;  the 
Wilderness  his  only  Purveyor.  —  The  Country.  —  Its  In 
habitants.  —  Their  Home.  —  The  Arts. —  Their  Manufac 
tures.  —  Their  Flocks  and  Herds.  —  Gold  and  Silver  Mines. 
—  Mining.  —  Diamonds.  —  Rubies.  —  The  Fire-Worship 
pers. —  The  Establishment  of  Missions  in  1670.  —  The 
Missions  destroyed  by  the  Apaches.  —  Final  Abandonment 
of  the  Settlements  by  the  Jesuits.  ---------29 


CHAPTER    II. 

Father  Kino.  —  The  Spanish  Government.  —  Its  Efforts  to 
develop  the  Mineral  Wealth  of  Arizona. —  Precious  Stones. 
—  Silver.  —  Gold.  —  Masses  of  virgin  Silver.  —  Wealth  of 
the  Mines  inestimable.  —  The  Mines  undeveloped.  —  Rea 
sons.  —  The  geographical  Position  of  Arizona.  —  Apache 
Raids.  —  Homes  ravished.  —  Bowie  Knives  and  Pistols  the 
Administrators  of  Justice.  —  The  most  wonderful  Portion 

of  the  American  Continent.     - ....-40 

2 


10  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER     III. 

The  Purchase  of  Arizona.  —  Its  Size. —  Its  Cost. — The  Loca 
tion  of  the  Kingdom  of  Cibola.  —  Cortez  imperils  the  Pos 
session  of  an  Empire.  —  The  Viceroy  Mendoza's  Expedition 
to  Cibola.  —  Settlements  in  Arizona  at  the  Time  of  its  Pur 
chase. —  Texan  "  Head  Rights."  —  Santa  Rita  del  Cobre.  — 
A  Visit  there.  —  Ojo  Caliente.  —  Remarkable  Springs.  — 
Immense  Value  of  the  Copper  Mines.  —  Wonderful  Sand 
stone  Formations.  —  Adventure  with  the  Apaches.  — Their 
War-whoop. — Death  of  Laws.  —  His  Burial  by  Moonlight. 
—  A  Mother's  Thanks.  —  God  bless  her. 46 


CHAPTER    IV. 

The  Mesilla  Valley.  —  Its  Climate.  —  Wines.  —Its  Produc 
tions-  —  The  Inhabitants.  —  Their  Manners  and  Customs.  — 
Los  Organos  Mountains.  —  The  Salt  Lakes.  —  "A  City  not 
made  with  Hands."  —  The  Elements  as  an  Architect.  —  The 
Temples  of  Crystal.  —  The  Sacramento  Mountains.  —  The 
Tularosa ;  its  Trout.  —  Antelope.  —  A  Hunt.  —  Lost  upon 
the  Plains.  —  The  terrified  Mule.  —  The  moving  Bush. — 
Suspense.  —  The  fortunate  Shot.  —  "Will  Daylight  never 
come  ?  "  —  The  Apache's  last  Trail.  —  A  Scalp.  —  The  White 
Man's  Smoke.  —  Camp  at  last. 56 


CHAPTER    V. 

The  Valley  of  the  Tularosa.  — A  Bear  Hunt.—  The  Cinnamon 
Bear. — An  unfortunate  Shot. — Bruin  "riled."  —  The  Giants 
of  the  Forest.  —  Dr.  Parker  not  a  Successful  Climber. — 
Bear  Meat  in  Camp.  —  Fort  Stanton.  —  The  Ruins  of  "  Le 
Gran  Quivera."  —  Miles  of  Ruins.  —  A  Stone  Aqueduct 
fourteen  Miles  long.  —  Cathedrals.  —  Mines.  —  One  of  the 
seven  Cities  of  Cibola.  —  Fifty  Millions  of  Treasure  buried. 


CONTENTS.  11 

—  The  Doctor's  Horse  stolen  by  Apaches. —  Petrified  Forest. 
— The  Rio  Grande.  —  Old  Pennington  and  his  seven  Daugh 
ters.  —  Capture  of  Mrs.  Paige  by  the  Indians.  —  Her  Suffer 
ings. —  Her  Story. — Down  the  Rio  Grande. — "Jim"  Davis, 
the  Emigrant's  Friend. —  Jim  swaps. — Home  again.  —  The 
Alcalde.  —  "  Enough  to  Eat  at  Home." 69 


CHAPTER    VI. 

The  Apaches.  —  The  Terror  of  the  Settler.—  The  Scourge  of 
the  White  Man.  —  Eight  Bands.  —  Their  Location.  —  Their 
Depredations. — Their  War  Chiefs.  —  The  Tribe  as  now 
constituted.  —  Their  Numbers.  —  The  Apache  Pass.  — 
Cochise.  —  His  personal  Appearance. —  "  Howly  Mother ! 
is  that  an  Apache?" — The  lost  Mules.  —  The  Overland 
Mail  Company.  —  The  Massacre  of  the  Fraziers.  —  The 
Bodies  burned.  —  The  Oatman  Family.  —  Their  Attempt 
to  cross  the  Desert. —  Their  Surprise  by  the  Apaches. — 
The  Massacre.  —  Escape  of  Lorenzo.  —  He  returns  and 
finds  the  dead  Bodies  of  his  Father,  Mother,  and  Sister.  — 
Olive  and  Mary  Captives. —  Lorenzo's  Sufferings. —  The 
Fate  of  the  Girls.  —  Their  Tortures.  —  Slaves  for  four  Years. 

—  Death  at   last  releases  little  Mary. —  Olive  buries  her 
Sister  at  Night.  —  Olive  finally  purchased.  —  Olive  and  Lo 
renzo  meet. — Mangus  Colorado,  the  White  Man's  Friend. 

—  The  Tonto  Apaches. 83 


CHAPTER    VII. 

Negotiations  with  Cochise.  —  He  agrees  to  accompany  me  to 
the  Apache  Village  as  my  Guide.  —  Our  Journey.  —  A  Mi 
rage.  —  The  Country.  —  Its  general  Features. —  A  Canon  on 
the  Gila.  —  Thrilling  Account  of  its  Descent.  —  The  "  Jor 
nada  del  Muerte?  or  Journey  of  Death.  —  All  the  while 
gaining  Light,  though  losing  Strength.  —  Nature's  wonder- 


1?  CONTENTS. 

ful  Organ.  —  Cathedrals. — Castles. —  Rotundas.  —  Ravines. 
—  Chasms.  —  Mountains.  —  The  Apache  Scouts.  —  The 
Bluff.  —  Our  first  Sight  of  the  "Apache  Home."  — Its 
beautiful  Situation.  —  Our  Reception.  —  A  Description  of 
the  Valley  and  its  Inhabitants.  —  My  first  Night  among  the 
Apaches.  —  A  Dance.  —  As  villanous  a  Crowd  as  "  ever 
cut  i\  Throat." 97 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

My  second  Night  in  an  Apache  Village.  —  Soap  and  Water. 

—  The  Soap  Plant.  —  An  Alarm.  —  Are  they  Mojaves  or 
Apaches?  —  Great  Excitement.  —  Arrival  of  Mangus  Colo 
rado.  —  The  Plunder.  —  The  Scalps.  —  His  Welcome  to  the 
White  Man.  —  What  Cochise  says.  —  A  Description  of  the 
Great  Apache  Chief.  —  His  reception  by  his  Tribe.  —  Gold. 

—  A  Mule  flayed  alive.  —  A  terrible  Sight.  —  A  Feast  in 
Preparation.  —  My  Invitation  thereto.  —  I  modestly  decline. 

—  The  Scalp  Dance  and  Feast. —  Mule  Meat  in  demand. — 
A  Description  of  the  Dance.  —  The  Feast,  and  who  partook. 

—  Sick   and   disgusted.  —  A  Description  of  the  Valley  by 
Moonlight,  —  Wonderful  Effect  of  the  Camp  Fires.  —  The 
Apaches'  Creed.  —  Thrilling  Account  of  the  Sacrifice  of  a 
beautiful    Mexican    Girl.  —  Her    Asher,   scattered   to   the 
Winds. 114 


CHAPTER    IX. 

I  want  to  go  Home.  —  The  advice  of  Cochise.  —  The  Women 
and  Children  of  the  Hancheria. —  The  Navajoe  Country. — 
How  the  Navajoes  make  Blankets.  —  Their  Manners  and 
Customs.  —  Their  Religion.  —  Singular  Superstition  re 
garding  a  Firebrand.  —  Its  origin.  —  How  the  Apaches  tan 
Deer-skins.  —  A  visit  from  Mangu*  Colorado.  —  Diplomacy. 
—  I  lose  a  Mule,  but  not  my  Scalp  -  -Adieu  *o  the  Apacha 


CONTENTS.  13 

Rancheria. —  On  the  Trail.  —  The  Scenery.  —  The  Organ  of 
the  Almighty  ;  His  hand  fingers  the  Keyboard.  —  Morning. 

—  An   alarm.  —  We    meet    Friends.  —  Dr.    Parker    and 
Jimmy.  —  Jimmy's  Experience  in   crossing  the   Canon.  — 
He  refuses  to  "inter  the  Crack."  —  A  ludicrous  Adventure. 

—  Captured  by  the  Apaches,  —  Startling  Effect  of  the  Fire 
in  the  Canon.  —  "  Down  into  Hell  without  the  Absolution 
of  a  Praste,  or  the  Satisfaction  of  dyinV  —  We  recross  the 
Canon.  —  Arrival  at  the  Apache  Pass. 127 


CHAPTER    X. 

A  Trip  to  Tucson.  —  The  Scenery.  —  A  Mirage. — Jimmy's 
Pursuit  of  a  Bath.  —  His  Return.  —  He  "don't  know."  — 
Our  Camp  for  the  Night.  —  A  dry  Run,  a  wet  Run,  before 
Morning. — We  lose  our  Wheels.  —  A  Search  for  them. — 
Jimmy's  Consternation.  —  The  Lake  and  the  Mountain  Tor 
rent  too  much  for  him.  —  "  The  Lake  as  dhry  as  powther." 

—  Where   are  our  Wheels?  — "The  Divil  has  'em."  — A 
Fix,  and  how  we  got  out  of  it.  —  Once  more  on  the  Road. 

—  A  Mescal  Distillery.  —  How  they  make  it,  and  how  they 
drink  it.  — Jimmy  the  Worse  for  it.  —  Arrival  at  Tucson.  — 
The    City  and  its  Inhabitants.  —  The    Santa  Cruz.  —  The 

'  Mission  of  San  Xavier  del  Bac.  —  Built  in  1678  by  the 
Jesuits.  —  Its  great  architectural  Beauty.  —  Description  of 
the  Buildings.  —  Its  Lesson. — Desolation  and  Decay. — 
The  Papago  Indians.  —  Old  Jose,  their  Chief.  —  His  Dress 
and  personal  Appearance.  —  Jimmy  compares  him  to  the 
Kings  of  "Ould  Ireland." — Vespers  in  the  old  Mission. — 
The  Choir.  —  Effect  of  the  Music. 143 


CHAPTER    XI. 

Bill   May's  Ranche.  —  Bill's  History.  —  How  he  "bags"  the 
Apaches.  —  His  Story.  —  The  Valley  of  the  Santa  Cruz.  — 


14  CONTENTS. 

Arrival  at  Tubac.  —  Its  Inhabitants  and  Trade. — Descrip 
tion  of  the  Town.  —  "Good  action."  —  The  Mission  of  San 
Jose"  Tumaccari. —  Its  present  Condition.  —  Its  beautiful 
Situation.  —  Apache  Depredations.  —  Killed  by  Apaches. 

—  Captain  Ewell.  —  The  Patagonian  Mine.  —  Worked   by 
the  Spaniards  in  1760.  —  Its  Machinery.  —  The   Apaches 
and  the  Boiler.  —  The  Ore  and  its  Yield.  — What  it  Assays. 

—  Destruction  of  the  Mine  by  the  Apaches.  —  A  morning 
Excursion  and  the  Beauties  of  Nature.  —  An  unexpected 
Sight.  —  "  To  be,  or  not  to  be."  —  Apaches.  —  As  they  ad 
vance,  I  retreat.  —  The  best  Time  I  ever  made.  —  Hatless, 
but  not  Witless,  I  reach  the  Camp.  —  Captain  Ewell's  Pur 
suit.  —  Campaigning  Qualities  of  the  Apaches.  —  What  they 
can  endure.  —  My  Escape  and  its  Lesson.  —  Jimmy's  Ideas 

of  early  Birds  and  Worms. 162 


CHAPTER     XII. 

The  Santa  Rita  Mountain  and  its  Mine.  —  The  Ore  and  its 
Value.  —  How  the  Apaches  destroyed  it.  —  The  Salero 
Mine.  —  How  it  was  worked  in  1760.  —  Wood  and  Water. 

—  Why  it  is  called  the  Salt-Cellar  Mine.  —  The  Bishop  of 
Sonora  is  entertained  by  the  Holy  Fathers  at  Tumaccari.  — 
He  wants  a  Salt-Cellar,  and  gets  it.  —  A  Happy  Thought, 

—  The  Bustillo  and  other  Mines.  —  Their  enormous  Yield. 

—  The  Foe  of  Industry  and  Civilization.  —  Fort  Buchanan. 

—  Visit  to  the  Heintsleman  Mine.  —  It  assays  Nine  Thou 
sand  Dollars  to  the  Ton.  —  Average  Yield.  —  The  brave 
old  General.  —  How  the  Mine  was  destroyed.  —  The  An- 
vacca  Ranche  and  Mine.  —  Jimmy's  first  Shot  at  a  Deer.  — 
It  proves  to  be  a  good  one.  —  He  stays  by  it.  —  Is  sent  for. 

—  His  Trial.  —  The  Evidence  and  Verdict.  —  "  The  gin- 
eral  Diciptiveniss  of  the  Counthry."  —  Venison  Steaks.  — 
Apache  Depredations.  —  Protection.  —  Farewell  to  Tubac. 

—  Arrival   at    San    Xavier.  —  Jimmy  an  i  the  King.  —  A 
Cock  Fight  after  Vespers. 172 


CONTENTS.  15 

CHAPTER     XIII. 

t\  Visit  to  the  Pimo  Villages.  —  We  leave  Jimmy  at  San 
Xavicr.  —  Our  Arrival  among  the  Pimos.  —  Their  Civiliza 
tion. —  Four  Hundred  Miles  of  Acequias.  —  Their  Houses. 

—  Their  Weapons.  —  The  only  successful  Apache  Fighters. 
-  An  Ark  of  Safety.  —  A  Visit  to  the  "  Casas  Grandest  — 

Our  first  Sight  of  these  Wonders  of  the  Desert.  —  Their  Con 
dition. —  What  Mr.  Bartlett  said  of  them  in  1852.  —  A 
Description  of  the  Buildings.  —  The  Elevation  and  Ground 
Plan.  —  The  Pottery  found  here.  —  Remarkable  Evidences 
of  an  Extinct  Civilization  —  The  Buildings  supposed  to  be 
Eight  Hundred  Years  Old.  —  Forty  Miles  of  Ruins. — 
The  Work  of  whose  Hands  ?  —  Father  Pedro  Font  viiits 
them  in  1775.  —  Extracts  from  a  Manuscript  Copy  of  his 
Journal,  —  Condition  of  the  Ruin's  at  the  Time  of  his  Visit.  — 
A  Description  of  them  as  Mangi  found  them  in  1694.  — 
Father  Kino  says  Mass  in  them  in  that  Year.  —  What  the 
Government  ought  to  do.  —  Speculations.  —  Return  to  the 
Pimo  Villages. 184 

CHAPTER    XIV. 

The  Montezuma  Indians.  —  Their  distinguishing  Characteris 
tics.  —  The  Ruins  upon  the  Rio  Verde  and  Salina  River.  — 
The  four-story  Houses,  and  who  built  them.  —  Gold  and 
Silver  Ornaments.  —  Cochise  and  the  Apaches.  —  The  Gold- 
bearing  Region  of  Arizona.  —  In  the  Heart  of  the  Apache 
Country.  —  Virgin  Gold  in  the  Hands  of  the  Apaches.  — 
They  refuse  all  Information  concerning  it.  —  Felix  Aubrey's 
Visit  to  the  Gold-bearing  Region  in  1849. —  What  he  found 
there.  —  Extent  and  Value  of  the  Deposits.  —  The  Indians 
use  Golden  Bullets.  —  Aubrey's  Death.  —  Silver.  —  The 
Mountains  full  of  it.  —  Gila  City.  —  Up  like  a  Rocket,  down 
like  a  Stick.  —  Good-by  to  the  Pimos.  —  Return  to  Tucson. 

—  Jimmy  puts  in  an  Appearance.  —  What  we  saw  in  Tuo- 


16  CONTENTS. 

eon. —  How  the  Inhabitants  amuse  themselves. — Distin 
guished  Characters.  —  A  Tragedy.  —  Mrs.  Paige  again. — 
Shocking  Sight.  —  We  leave  Tucson  under  Captain  EwelPs 
Escort.  —  Scenery.  —  Apaches.  —  The  Flight  and  Pursuit. 
—  A  Spirited  Scene.  —  Will  they  overtake  us  ?  —  Camp.  — 
The  Return.  —  Result  of  the  Chase.  —  Expedition  into  the 
Mountains.  —  What  we  found.  —  The  Apaches  asleep.  — 
The  Apaches  awake.  —  An  exciting  Adventure.  —  A  Stam 
pede. —  What  happened,  and  how  it  happened.  -  ...  199 


CHAPTER    XV. 

A  Storm  in  the  Mountains,  and  what  came  of  it.  —  How  the 
Apaches  stampede  Stock.  —  What  Captain  Ewell  found.  — 
On  the  Road  once  more.  —  The  Captain  meets  his  Apache 
Friends. — How  they  shook  Hands.  —  We  find  Cochise  at 
Apache  Pass.  —  The  San  Cimon.  —  Castles  in  Spain. — 
What  shall  we  do?  —  Apache  Attack. — A  lucky  Shot. — 
Consternation. — Th6  Return  for  the  Dead.  —  I  acquire  a 
Reputation  as  a  Marksman,  and  take  good  care  not  to  spoil 
it.  —  Attack  upon  the  Overland  Mail  Coach.  —  The  Con 
ductor  killed.  —  The  Great  Door  to  the  Pacific  Slope. — 
Doubtful  Pass.  —  Stein's  Peak.  —  Watch  and  Ward.  —  The 
Backbone  of  the  Continent. —  A  Magnificent  Sight. — 
Mountain  Sheep.  —  A  Mountain  Lake.  — Two  tiny  Streams, 
springing  from  the  same  Source. —  A  Continent  divides  them. 

—  The  Cereus  G-randes. — A  Picture.  —  A  Mirror  silvered  by 
Nature's  own  Hand.  —  The  Moonlight  and  its  Effect.  —  The 
Soldier's  Farewell. 220 

CHAPTER    XVI. 

Thirty-two  Miles.  —  A  Panorama.  —  Grand  Mountain  Scenery. 

—  Our  Descent.  —  The  Great  Plateau.  —  A  natural  Route 
for  a  Railroad.  —  The  Thirty-second  Parallel.  —  A  parched 
and  endless  Waste.  —  No  Water.  — A  wonderful  Mirage.  — 


CONTENTS.  17 

The  " Playas"  of  the  great  Plateau.  —  Barney  Station. — 
How  we  reached  La  Mesilla.  —  Jimmy  enacts  "  Sinbad  the 
Sailor."  —  Fort  Fillmore.  —  Visitors  from  the  East,  and  their 
sad  Fate. —  Our  Revenge.  —  Arizona  and  New  Mexico  one. 

—  How   and    when   it   was    divided.  —  The   geographical 
Boundaries.  —  I  determine   to  visit  the  Zunis.  —  Prepara 
tions  for  the  Trip.  — Jimmy  promoted.  — About  the  Seven' 
Cities  of  Cibola.  —  Conquered  by  the  Spaniards  in  1540. — 
Joseph  de  Bazemzalles  visits  Zuni  in  1526.  —  He  leaves  his 
Name  on  Inscription  Rock.  —  What  the  Abbe  Domenech 
says  of  it.  —  Father  Marcos  de  Niza's  Explorations  in  1535. 

—  The  Arabian  Negro  Esteva.  —  The  Friar  Honoratus.  — 
Father  Niza  "  follows  where  the  Holy  Ghost  did  lead."  —  His 
Description  of  the  Inhabitants.  —  Gold.  —  Turquoise  and 
Cotton   Cloth.  —  Father  Niza  and   the  Negro  Quarrel. — 
Esteva  sets  out  on  a  Voyage  of  Discovery.  —  He  finds  the 
City  of   Cibola. — Dress  of  the   Inhabitants.  —  Girdles  of 
Turquoise.  —  Gowns   of    Cotton     Cloth.  —  Ox     Hides.  — 
Father  Niza  is  received  by  the  Children  of  the  Desert.  — 
He  hears  of  Cibola  and  Marata.  —  Acus.  —  Totonteac. — 
The  wild  Beasts  of  the  Kingdom.  —  He  learns  the  sad  Fate 
of  the  Negro  Esteva.  —  He  sees  Cibola  from  the  Top  of  a 
Mountain.  —  What  he  says  of  it  and  its  Inhabitants.  —  He 
returns  to   Culican.  —  The  Valley  of  the   Rio    Verde.  — 
Conjectures.  —  Captain  General  Governor   Francisco  Vas- 
quez  de  Coronado. — His  Expedition  to  conquer  Cibola. — 
His  Army.  —  Easter  Morning,  1540,  and  what  it  saw.       -       235 


CHAPTER    XVII. 

Forty  Days'  Toil.  —  Red  Town.  —  Coronado's  Troubles.  — 
His  Men  and  Horses  Starve.  —  Don  Tristan  d'Arellano 
his  Lieutenant. — The  Reserve.  —  Description  of  the  won 
derful  Country  through  which  he  passed.  —  He  arrives  be 
fore  the  Walls  of  Cibola.  —  Determines  to  attack  the  City. 
—  Desperate  Assault  and  Repulse.  —  The  final  Assault  and 
Capitulation  of  the  City.  — What  Coronado  found  therein.  — 
3 


18  CONTENTS. 

The    Expedition    of    De   Cardenas.  —  What    it    found. — 
Don  Tristan  arrives  with  his  Army.  —  A  Terrible   March. 

—  Coronado's  Report  to   Charles  V.  —  Acuco. —  Crooked- 
backed  Oxen. —  Coronado  marches  on  Tiguex. —  A  Des 
perate     Fight.  —  Pecos.  —  Montezuma's    Temple.  —  The 
Fire-worshippers  and  the  Sacred  Flame. —  The  Legend  of 
Montezuma.  —  His  Prophecy.  —  Singular  fulfilment  of  it. 

—  The   Sacred   Flame  kept  burning  for  more   than   three 
Centuries. —  What   happened   in    1542.  —  Coronado   deter 
mines   to  return  to  Culican.  —  An  Accident. — He  departs 
in  April,  1543.  —  Conjectures. —  We  leave  for  Zuni.  —  The 
Valley  of  the  Rio  Grande.  —  Albuquerque.  —  Kit  Carson 
the  Veritable.  —  He  "don't  fear   no  Injun    a-livin'." — We 
take  a  Guide.  —  All   about  Don  Rafael.  —  Off  for  Zuni  at 
last.  —  Our   Camp  at  Isletta.  —  What   happened  there. — 
The  Rio  Grande  on  a  "Bender."  —  Jimmy  dumbfounded. 

—  He  calls  loudly  on  the  Virgin. — On  which  side  of  the 
River  are  we  ?  —  Singular  Freak   of  the  Rio   Grande.  — 
Jimmy  pronounces  it  "  the  Divil's  own  Work,  sure."   -    -    -  263 


CHAPTER    XVIII. 

On  the  Road  to  Laguna. — The  Valley  of  the  Rio  Puerco. — 
New  Mexican  Sheep.  —  The  Herders  and  their  Dogs. — 
Wonderful  Sagacity.  —  Navajoe  Depredations.  —  What 
they  have  stolen.  —  Expeditions  against  them.  —  How  the 
Government  treated  them.  —  The  Puerco. — In  Camp.  —  Don 
Rafael's  Stories.  —  Game  of  the  Country.  —  Jimmy  deter 
mines  to  go  Deer  hunting.  —  He  shows  us  how  they  hunt 
Deer  in  "  Ould  Ireland."  —  A  Misfortune.  —  Jimmy's  sud 
den  Disappearance.  —  How  the  "  Powther  laked  out  of  his 
Gun."  — The  Rio  San  Jose.  — The  Pueblo  of  Laguna.— 
How  the  Houses  are  built  without  Doors  or  Windows. — 
The  Temple  —  An  Extinct  Volcano.  —  We  ascend  to  the 
top  of  the  Temple.  —  Peach  and  Apricot  Orchards. — En 
Route  for  Acoma.  —  Its  Situation  on  the  top  of  a  Rock 


CONTENTS.  19 

Three  Hundred  and  Fifty  Feet  High.  —  The  only  Means 
of  Ascent.  —  Water  Tanks.  —  The  Houses.  —  The  People. 
—  The  Government.  —  Jimmy  is  troubled.  —  The  Women 
of  Acoma.  —  Stuffed  Legs.  —  An  Acoma  Belle.  —  Jimmy 
attempts  to  form  a  "Mathrimonial  Alliance."  —  How  we  de 
feat  the  Project.  —  We  leave  Acoma.  --------  279 


CHAPTER    XIX. 

Sunrise  and  its  Beauties.  —  The  Ladder  leading  to  the  Gates 
of  Paradise.  —  The  Mountain  Scenery.  —  A  Motionless  Sea. 

—  What  we  find  Six  Thousand  Feet  above  the  Level  of  the 
Ocean.  —  The   tawny    Coyote.  —  Breakfast   and   a   Fresh 
Start.  —  The  "  Agua  Frio"  —  Moonlight.  —  The  Awful 
Silence.  —  It   overwhelms  me  as  does  the  Thought  of  the 
Infinite.  —  Nature  in    an    Eternal    Sleep.  —  The  Coyote's 
Bark.  —  I  disturb  the  Camp.  —  To  Bed  at  last.  —  A  moan. 

—  Jimmy's    Sickness.  —  His    Tears. — The   Doctor   won't 
Prescribe.  —  Jimmy's  last  Chance.  —  He  "  hankereth  "  after 
the  Flesh  Pots  of  Acoma.  —  The  Sierra  Madre  Range. — 
The  Navajoe  Pass.  —  What  it  looks  like,  Seven  Thousand 
Three  Hundred  and  Twenty-one  Feet  above  the  Level  of 
the  Sea.  —  Acoma  in  the  Distance.  —  The  Carizo  Springs. 

—  What   the    Country  west  of  us  resembles.  —  In  Camp. 

—  Reflections.  —  We  moralize.     -        --------  290 


CHAPTER    XX. 

The  Adventures  of  the  Night.  —  A  Moonlight  Scene. — 
Hush-ah-sh.  —  "The  poor  Craythur's  lost,  an'  she's  callin' 
to  me."  —  Attacked  by  a  Panther.  —  Thrilling  Description. 
—  A  Desperate  Encounter.  —  We  capture  him. — Jimmy's 
valiant  Charge.  —  Who  killed  the  Mule  ?  —  El  Moro.  —  Its 
Beauties  in  the  setting  Sun.  —  The  Valley  by  Moonlight.  — 
Fancies.  —  Juan  Gonzales  in  1629.  — .  Don  Diego  de  Bargas 


20  CONTENTS. 

in  1692.  —  Don  Felix  Martinez  in  1716.  — His  Expedition 
to  reduce  and  punish  the  Apaches,  and  what  came  of  it.  — 
What  his  Majesty  said  about  it.  —  The  Book  of  History.  — 
Ruins  in  the  Valley.  —  Description  of  them.  —  The  Pottery 
found  here.  —  The  old  Watch-Towers.  —  The  Rio  Pescado 
and  its  Valley.  —  Lands  and  Crops.  —  Jimmy  warned. — 
No  more  entangling  Alliances.  —  The  Blue-eyed,  Light- 
haired  Zunis.  —  Prince  Madoc  and  his  Voyage  of  Discovery 
in  the  Twelfth  Century.  —  The  Welsh  Miners  and  what 
came  of  them.  —  Singular  similarity  between  the  Welsh 
and  Zuni  Language.  —  The  Story  of  the  Negro  Esteva.  — 
Jimmy  "  swears  a  swear."  —  The  Legend  of  the  Rio  Pesca 
do.  —  How  the  Fish  came  in  it.  —  The  Rio  de  Zuni  and  its 
Valley. 300 


CHAPTER    XXI. 

Zuni.  —  Its  Situation.  —  Our  first  Sight  of  the  People.  —  The 
Products  of  the  Valley.  —  Jimmy  Trades.  —  A  new  Steward. 

—  His  Chagrin.  —  In  Camp.  —  A  Visit  from  the  Cacique,  or 
Governor.  —  His  Dress.  —  A  Warning.  —  An  Abattis.  —  An 
Examination  of  the  Plain.  —  The  Pits,  and  how  concealed. 

—  Description  of  the  Town.  —  Characteristics  of  the  Zunis. 

—  The  Women.  —  Jimmy  has  a  Flirtation.  —  He  makes  a 
Present.  —  Its  Object.  —  Tame  Eagles.  —  The  Population. 

—  A  Church.  —  The  Council.  —  The  Heads  of  Departments. 

—  We   visit  the   Sacred    Spring.  —  No   one   permitted  to 
drink   the  Water.  —  The  Broken  Tenajas. —  Communica 
tion  with  departed  Spirits.  —  Singular  Customs.  —  Honor 
among  the  Zunis.  —  Jimmy  takes  a  Drink  from  the  Spring 
and  departs.  —  We  return  to  Camp  troubled.  —  We  miss 
Jimmy.  —  He  does  not   return. —  Anxiety.  —  Exercise.  — 
A  Conversation,  and  how  it  was  interrupted.  —  Do  the  Mills 

of  the  Gods  grind  slow  ?  —  Nemesis.    -    -    - 312 


CONTENTS.  21 


CHAPTER    XXII. 

Jimmy  in  Trouble.  —  Hunting  the  Animals.  —  His  Betrothal. 
-  His  Arrest  by  the  "Bazaque,"  and  what  came  of  it.  —  The 
Trials  of  two  fond  Hearts.  —  Ancient  Cibola.  —  Its  Situar 
tion.  —  How  we  reached  it.  —  The  Ascent  of  a  Thousand 
Feet  —  The  Mountain  Scenery.  —  The  San  Francisco  Peak. 
—  Its  snow-clad  Summit  resembles  a  huge  Crystal.  —  The 
Country  to  the  Westward.  —  The  blue  Pacific  a  Thousand 
Miles  away.  —  An  Emerald  in  a  Setting  of  Topaz.  —  What 
we  found  at  Old  Zuni.  —  The  Ruins.  —  The  Monuments, 
and  the  Legend  concerning  them.  —  The  Zunis'  History  of 
the  Deluge.  —  Proofs  sustaining  their  Theory.  —  We  visit 
the  Cedar  Grove.  —  The  Incantation  Scene.  —  The  Sacred 
Altars.  —  Traditions  and  Superstitions.  —  A  beautiful  Sight.  329 


CHAPTER    XXIII. 

The  Zunis'  Legend  of  the  Creation.  —  Origin  of  the  Nations 
of  the  Earth.  —  How  they  escaped  from  the  Cave  in  which 
they  were  confined.  —  The  four  White  Swans  and  their 
Mission.  —  How  the  Water  was  drained  from  the  Face 
of  the  Earth.  —  The  Mission  of  the  Bear.  —  The  Navajot/3 
first  come  forth.  —  What  they  did.  —  The  Zunis  next 
emerge.  —  The  Pueblos  follow.  —  The  Americans  bring  up 
the  rear,  but  immediately  leave  for  the  place  where  the  Sun 
rises.  —  The  Confusion  of  Tongues.  —  What  became  of  the 
Birds  and  Beasts.  —  How  the  domestic  Animals  were  ob 
tained.  —  Size  of  the  Earth.  —  The  old  Men  decide  to  have 
a  Sun,  and  who  made  it.  —  How  the  Heavens  and  the 
Moon  were  constructed. —  Who  made  the  Stars,  and  why 
there  are  so  few  Constellations.  —  Growth  of  the  Earth.  — 
The  three  Tenajas.  —  The  Navajoes'  Choice.  —  What  the 
Zunis  chose.  —  What  the  Pueblos  got.  —  As  you  nave 


22  CONTENTS. 

chosen  so  shall  it  ever  be  with  you.  —  The  white  Hen 
Turkey.  —  Where  she  came  from,  and  what  she  brought.  — 
How  it  was  divided.  —  The  old  Man  shot  into  the  Clouds. 

—  Death.  —  "All  those  who  die  must  come  down  here  and 
live  with  me  in  our  first  Home."  —  Sunset.  —  Our  Return  to 
Camp. 345 

CHAPTER    XXIV. 

What  the  Apostle  said.  —  Visitors  in    Camp.  —  What   they 
had,  and  how  they  got  it.  —  Jimmy  offers  to  settle  the  Bill. 

—  Bridal  Presents. — Jimmy  and   the    Cacique.  —  A  dark 
Prospect  for  Jimmy.  —  Supposed  Settlement  of  the  Difficul 
ties.  —  Jacob's  Well.  —  A  most  remarkable  Freak  of  Nature. 

—  A  Death  and  Burial.  —  Singular  Customs.  —  The  Death- 
cry. —  A  Soul  bereft  of  all  Hope.  —  Jimmy    anxious. — A 
Consultation.  —  Jimmy   out. —  The    Midnight  Attack. — 
Preparations  for  Battle.  —  Navajoes.  — The  Pits  are  found. 

—  The   Fight   and    the   War-whoop.  —  I  am  wounded. — 
Twenty-three  Shots.  —  The  Navajoes  leave  us. —  We  don't 
care  to  follow  them.  —  Jimmy  absent.  —  Why  we  received 
no  Assistance  from  the  City. — Jimmy  in  the  Distance. — 
He  cometh  like  a  Race  Horse.  —  "Save  her,  save  her!  for 
God's  sake  save  her!"  —  A  moonlight   Stroll,    and    what 
came  of  it.  —  Jimmy  forgets   both    Valor   and   Honor.  — 

—  What  happened.  —  "Howly   Mother!  how  thim  Divils 
did  rin,  though."  —  A  Warning  to  all  young  Damsels. — 
What  Daylight  brought.  —  The  Story  of  the  Fight  and  its 
Results. —  The  Zunis  determine  to  follow  the  Foe.  —  The 
Volunteers. — Jimmy's    Scruples.' — How  they  were  over 
come.  —  His  Mule  " bucks."  —  He  plays  " Possum."  —  How 
he  recovered.  —  Our  Reception  by  the  Zunis.  —  Jimmy  is 
boastful,  .- 360 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER    XXV. 

The  Result  of  an  Inspection.  —  We  Start.  —  The  Trail  that 
we  followed.  —  The  Braves  charge.  —  Jimmy  attempts 
to  follow  them.  —  The  Result  of  riding  a  playful  Mule.  — 
A  remarkable  Feat.  —  We  sight  the  Navajoes. —  The  Dis 
position  of  our  Forces.  —  A  complete  Surprise.  —  The 
Result.  —  Our  Return.  —  After  the  Battle.  —  The  Celebra 
tion  of  the  Victory  in  the  Pueblo.  —  The  brave  Man's 
Dance.  —  The  Plaza  by  Moonlight.  —  The  Eagle,  the 
Turkey,  the  Duck,  and  the  Crow.  —  Singular  Superstitions. 
—  A  complete  Description  of  the  Dance.  —  Dr.  Parker  and 
myself  congratulate  ourselves  with  the  others.  —  A  Visit 
from  the  Cacique. —  His  Companions,  and  the  '  Object  of 
their  Visit.  — Jimmy  summoned.  —  His  Appearance.  —  The 
Charge.  —  Guilty  or  not  Guilty?  —  The  Answer  and  De 
fence.  —  The  Judgment.  —  A  Surprise.  —  "  The  White 
Man  tells  no  Lies."  —  The  Cacique  vindicates  his  Judg 
ment.  —  He  speaks,  not  with  a  "forked  Tongue."  — 
"  Howly  Mother  !  protict  me  characther."  —  Puzzled.  — 
Zuni  Maiden,  "  Hequiescat  in  Pace."  —  The  Scene  of 
Coronado's  Assault.  —  The  Terraces.  —  "The  Spaniards 
came,  and  all  was  changed."  —  Montezuma  the  Embodiment 
of  Truth.  —  Eight  Hundred  Feet  above  the  Plains.  — 
Twilight  and  the  Descent.  —  A  fearful  Fall.  —  The  Sensa 
tions  experienced.  —  If  you  doubt  me,  try  it  yourself. — 
How  I  was  saved.  —  A  hair-breadth  Escape,  indeed.  —  The 
Doctor  in  Attendance.  —  Camp. 384 

CHAPTER    XXVI. 

Jimmy  wants  to  know  all  about  it.  —  The  Doctor's  Reply. — 
A  narrow  Escape. —  The  Bottle  of  Arnica.  —  The  Nurse,  and 
who  obtained  her.  —  The  Cacique  visits  me,  and  entertains 
me  with  some  of  the  Legends  of  the  Zunis  and  their  Tradi 
tions.  —  Their  Ideas  of  a  Future  State.  —  The  Story  of  the 


24  CONTENTS. 

Zuni  Warrior.  —  The  Death  of  his  Betrothed.  —  His  Grief.  — 
The  Country  of  Souls.  —  The  Cabin  by  the  Path.  —  The  Old 
Man  with  White  Hair  and  a  Mantle  of  Swan's  Down.  — 
Come  in  :  Sit  down.  — The  Gulf.  —  The  Island  in  the  Dis 
tance.  —  "  You  must  leave  your  Body  behind."  — A  sudden 
Transformation.  —  Shadows  of  the  Material  World.  —  The 
Abode  of  the  Spirits.  —  The  Lake  and  the  Island  of  the 
Blest.  —  A  Cano.e  of  Crystal.  —  He  meets  his  Bride.— 
The  foaming,  threatening  Waves.  —  Hope  and  Fear.  —  The 
Master  of  Life.  —  The  happy  Shore.  —  The  Decree.  —  The 
Warrior's  Sorrow.  —  "  She  will  remain  here  always  young." 
—  Jimmy  eulogizes  "the  Girl  he  left  behind  him."  —  We 
ascertain  who  my  Nurse  is. — Jimmy  cares  more  for  his 
Scalp  than  his  Honor.  —  He  thinks  his  Mother-in-law  a 
very  fine  Person.  —  "  Garvies,"  and  what  they  look  like.  -  414 


CHAPTER    XXVII. 

Jimmy  disappears  again.  —  He  is  anxious  to  defend  some  one 
from  the  Navajoes.  —  The  Green  Corn  Dance.  —  One  of 
Montezuma's  Festivals.  —  Ruins.  —  A  Legend  of  Monte- 
zuma.  —  His  Mother,  who  she  was,  and  what  the  gentle 
Zephyr  did  to  her.  —  The  Birth  of  Montezuma.  • — The 
wonderful  Ruins  of  the  Canon  de  Chaco.  —  Those  of  the 
Pueblo  Pintado.  —  How  constructed. — The  Material  un 
known  in  the  present  Architecture  of  New  Mexico. —  A 
wonderful  Combination  of  Science  and  Art  displayed.  — 
Mosaic  Work.  —  Rubble  Masonry  without  Lime. —  Size  of 
the  Apartments,  and  their  Numbers.  —  No  Marks  of  Tools 
to  be  found.  —  The  Ruins  of  Weje-gi.  —  Hungo  Pavie. — 
Chettro  Kettle  and  Penasca  Blanca.  —  Their  Size.  —  Mason 
ry.  —  Manner  of  Construction,  &c.  —  No  Chimneys  or  Fire 
places.  —  No  Iron.  —  Beautiful  Pottery  Ware.  —  The  Ruins 
in  the  Canon  de  Chelly.  —  The  Estufas,  and  how  con 
structed.  —  Their  Altars.  —  A  Suggestion.  —  No  Response. 
—  Jimmy's  Proposition.  —  In  Love  once  more.  —  He  wants 


CONTENTS.  25 

to  marry  his  Mother-in-law.  —  An  old  Definition  for  a  new 
Idea.  —  "  Ould  Ireland."  — Jimmy  curses  the  "Bazaque."  — 
"  He's  plidged."  —  We  find  the  Mother-in-law  in  Camp.  — 
"  Thim  illigint  Garvies." —  Jimmy's  Mission  to  the  Pueblo, 
and  when  he  returned. 432 


CHAPTER    XXVIII. 

The  Chase  and  the  Game.  —  A  Consultation.  —  A  Diagnosis. 

—  The  Disease  and  its  Cure.  —  The  Prescription.  —  Homoe 
opathic  Doses.  —  "  Where  Ignorance  is  Bliss,  it's  Folly  to  be 
wise."  —  Jimmy  doesn't  fold  his  Tent  like  the  Arab,  but 
silently   steals    away.  —  Anxiety   in    the   Morning.  —  His 
great  Love. — A  reluctant  Convert.  —  Gay  and  happy. — 
The  Cacique  entertains  us  with  an  Account  of  the  Moquis. 

—  Their  singular  Country.  —  Its  Situation  and  Character 
istics.  —  Their  Villages.  —  Harro.  —  Its  Population.  —  Won 
derful  Reservoirs,  and  how  constructed.  —  Singular  Facts. 

—  The  Population  of  the  seven  Villages.  —  Their  Govern 
ment.  —  Religion.  —  Superstitions.  —  The  nine    Races   of 
Men.  —  The  Deer  Race.  —  The  Sand  Race.  —  The  Water 
Race.  —  The  Bear  Race.  —  The  Hare  Race.  —  The  Prairie 
Wolf    Race.  —  The    Rattlesnake     Race. — The    Tobacco 
Plant   Race.  —  The  Reed   Grass   Race.  —  The  Hereafter, 
and  how  we  appear.  —  A  very  wonderful  Fact.  —  A  Day  of 
Thanksgiving.  —  The  Origin  and  History  of  the  Green  Corn 
Dance.  —  A  beautiful  Custom.  —  The    Procession  and  the 
Costumes.  —  A  full  and  complete  Description  of  the  Ceremo 
nies.  —  Allegorical  Representations.  —  The  four  Seasons.  — 
The  twelve  Months.  —  The  Music.  —  The  boiling  Maize. 

—  An   Offering  to  Montezuma.  —  Ashes.  —  Who  may  join 
in  the  Festivities.  —  Manner  of  Purification.  —  The  Origin 
of  the  Festival.  —  Our  Return  to  Camp.  —  What  we  do.  — 
Jimmy  returns  with  a  most  voracious  Appetite.  —  We  wait 
further  Developments. 452 

4 


26  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER    XXIX. 

What  the  Developments  are.  —  The  Doctor  has  a  Patient. — 
Jimmy's  Wedding  Day.  —  A  Misfortune.  —  A  Visit  from 
the  Cacique.  —  A  genuine  Surprise.  —  An  American,  and  in 
Trouble.  —  What  the  Moquis  had  done  for  him.  —  Parley 
Stewart,  and  his  sad,  sad  Story.  —  Terrible  Massacre  of  his 
Wife  and  seven  Children.  —  Two  Daughters  taken  captive. 

—  Ashes  and  Desolation.  —  What  we  learn  from  the  Mo 
quis. —  We  conclude  to  leave  Zuni.  —  Jimmy  wants  to  bid 
his    Mother-in-law    good    by.  —  The     Doctor    administers 
Dose  No.  2.  —  "  The  best  laid  Schemes  of  Mice  and  Men 
gang  aft  agley."  —  The  Result  of  the  Doctor's  Prescription. 

—  Jimmy  dying.  —  Old  Man   Stewart  once    more.  —  The 
Graves  in  the  beautiful  Valley. 472 


CHAPTER    XXX. 

A  Striking  Picture.  —  Is  it  the  Work  of  Afreets?  —  We 
decide  to  take  Old  Man  Stewart  through  to  the  Rio  Grande. 
—  Jimmy  still  alive.  —  We  are  confident  that  we  put  the 
Medicine  "  where  it  would  do  the  most  good."  —  A  parting 
Visit,  and  Present  from  the  Cacique.  —  Our  Departure. — 
Jimmy  all  right.  —  His  "  Complaychent  Faylin'."  —  The 
Incidents  of  the  Day.  —  We  reach  El  Moro.  —  We  deter 
mine  to  ascend  to  its  Summit.  —  What  we  see.  —  We  find 
the  Ruins  of  two  large  Pueblos.  —  The  Pottery  Ware. — 
Singular  Facts.  —  Reflections.  —  The  Aztecs  in  the  twelfth 
Century.  —  What  Baron  Humboldt  says  of  them.  —  The 
popular  Theory  regarding  them.  —  What  the  Abbe  Dom- 
enec  thinks  of  them.  —  Scientific  Theory  regarding  their 
Disappearance.  —  Their  Descendants.  —  The  general  Indian 
Insurrection  in  the  Year  1680.  —  The  Overthrow  of  the 
Spanish  Sway.  —  The  Archives  of  the  Territory  entirely 
destroyed.  —  Return  of  the  Spaniards  in  1695.  —  A  sad 
Lesson  and  its  Teachings. 


CONTENTS.  27 


CHAPTER    XXXI. 

We  leave  El  Moro.  —  Our  Camp  at  Agua  Frio.  —  Don  Rafael 
on  a  Hunt.  —  A  Stranger  in  the  Distance.  —  We  prepare  to 
welcome  him.  —  Jimmy  "protists." —  Sam  Bean.  —  Who 
he  is,  and  the  News  that  he  brings. — Trouble  Ahead. — 
Old  Man  Stewart  anxious  for  Revenge.  —  Don  Rafael  arrives. 

—  What  he  thinks  of  the  Situation. — Preparations  for  the 
Attack.  —  Mr.  Stewart  as  a  Scout.  —  Sam's  Opinion.  —  The 
Old  Man  fires  the  first  shot.  —  Its  Result.  —  The  Attack.  — 
Jimmy  wants  "  hilp."  —  What  he  got.  —  Sam  Bean  on  the 
Rampage.  —  A  desperate  Fight.  —  Finnl  Result.  — The  Old 
Man's  Scalps.  —  Sam  leaves    us.  —  Jimmy's  Threats.  —  On 
the  Road  once  more.  —  The  Country  between  El  Moro  and 
the  Rio  Grande.  —  The  Valley  of  the  Rio  Bravo  del  Norte. 

—  In    Camp.  —  Jimmy's  Apostrophe    to    the   River.  —  He 
hears  a  Noise,  and  adjourns  to  Camp.  —  He   cautions   Old 
Man  Stewart.  —  "  Painters  in  thim  Woods."  —  The  "  Avenin' 
Air"  has  a  bad  Effect  upon  Jimmy's  Health.  —  Don  Rafael 
leaves  us.  —  En  Route  for  Fort  Craig.  —  What  Dr.  Cooper 
thinks  of  Old  Man   Stewart.  ->—  We    reach  La  Mesilla.  — 
Death   and   Burial  of  the  old  Man.  —  The  sad  Fate  of  his 
two   Daughters.  —  Blotted    out.  —  The   cowardly   Assassi 
nation  of  Mangus  Colorado    by  United  States  Soldiers  in 
1863.  —  Cochise  elected  Chief  of  the  Apaches.  —  He  takes 
to  the  War-path  to  avenge  the  Death  of  Mangus.  —  He 
records  a  Vow,  and  how  well  he  has  kept  it.  —  What  the 
Historian  Miguel  Venegas  says  of  the  Apaches  in  1758.  — 
What  the  Arizonian  says  of  them  to-doy.  —  Jimmy  wants 
a    "  Saycret   Interview."  —  Married    at   last.  —  Dr.  Parker 
and  myself  leave   for  the  "  States."  —  Five   Years    after 
wards,  and  what  happened.  —  Safe  in  "Ould  Ireland"  at 
last.  —  Recapitulation,  and  Farewell  to  the  Reader. 510 


CHAPTER    I. 


OURTEEN  HUNDRED 
NINETY-TWO  gave  to  the 
world  the  startling  announce 
ment  that  a  new  world  had 
been  discovered;  since  which 
time,  this  later  revelation  of 
God  to  man  has  unceasingly 
developed  to  the  inquirer 
new  marvels  of  beauty,  new 
forms  of  grandeur,  new 

mines  of  wealth;  and  of  no  section  of  our  vast  dominion 
can  this  be  more  truly  said,  than  of  the  Territory  of 
Arizona. 

It  is  a  well-known  fact  that  when,  twenty-two  years  later, 
Cortez  achieved  the  conquest  of  Mexico,  he  found  the  Aztecs 
in  possession  of  immense  quantities  of  gold,  silver,  and 
precious  stones.  So  wonderful  was  this  amount  of  treasure, 
that  the  Spaniards  fully  believed  they  had  at  last  discovered 

(29) 


'  3G  EXPEDITION   TO   CIBOLA. 

the  "El  Dorado"  of  their  dreams,  and  every  inducement 
was  offered  to  Montezuma  and  his  caciques  to  cause  them 
to  disclose  the  secret  source  from  whence  they  derived  so 
much  of  their  wealth.  The  most  brilliant  promises,  how 
ever,  availed  them  nothing.  Montezuma's  answer  was  evei 
the  same,  "From  the  Northwest."  Actuated  by  the  spirit 
of  daring,  which  had  manifested  itself  in  so  many  different 
ways,  Cortez's  next  movement  was  a  bold  one  indeed.  He 
conceived  a  plan  to  obtain  by  stratagem  the  knowledge 
which  he  had  failed  to  gain  by  fairer  means.  Inducing  the 
Emperor  to  visit  him  in  the  old  palace  of  Azayacatl — the 
former  residence  of  Montezuma's  father,  which  had  been 
assigned  to  the  Spaniards  as  barracks, —  he  seized  and  placed 
him  in  irons,  detaining  him  in  prison  for  nearly  six  months. 
But  even  this  audacious  act  failed  of  its  purpose ;  for  to 
the  oft-repeated  inquiry,  the  answer  was  still  the  same, 
"From  the  Northwest,"  with  only  the  additional  informa 
tion,  that  the  treasure  came  from  a  country  known  as  Cibola, 
far  beyond  the  boundaries  of  Montezuma's  empire.  Neither 
promises  nor  threats  could  induce  him  to  reveal  more  than 
this,  and  Cortez  was  at  last  reluctantly  obliged  to  accept 
these  statements  as  truths. 

The  Spanish  Conqueror  now  busied  himself  in  fitting  out 
an  expedition  to  visit  this  land  of  Cibola;  and  though  he 
could  ill  afford  to  spare  a  man,  yet  twenty  of  the  most 
trustworthy  of  his  little  band  were  selected  to  start  upon  the 


EARLY  HISTORY.  31 

voyage  of  discovery,  under  the  leadership  of  one  Francisco  de 
Lujo,  accompanied  by  nearly  a  thousand  Tlascalau  Indians, 
whom  he  had  secured  as  allies.  This  expedition,  like  the 
two  which  succeeded  it,  never  returned,  and  their  ultimate 
end  is  one  of  the  many  questions  concerning  the  history  of 
the  Conquerors,  which  time  has  never  solved. 

The  most  reliable  information  to  be  obtained  demonstrates 
pretty  accurately  that  the  present  Territory  of  Arizona  cov 
ered  a  large  portion  of  the  country  then  known  as  the  king 
dom  of  Cibola,  which  extended  south  far  enough  to  include 
the  Mexican  States  of  Chihuahua  and  Sonora  of  the  present 
day;  and  which  was,  in  truth,  the  land  from  which  came 
by  far  the  greater  portion  of  Montezuma's  coveted  wealth. 

Of  the  races  that  originally  peopled  Mexico,  we  have  no 
written  history.  We  know  that  the  Toltecs  were  succeeded, 
somewhere  about  1070,  by  the  Chichimecas,  who  in  their 
turn  were  succeeded  by  the  Mexicans,  or  Aztecs,  about 
the  year  1170. 

The  only  information  to  be  obtained  concerning  these  re 
markable  nations,  is  to  be  found  in  the  traditionary  legends 
of  their  descendants;  and  from  them  we  know  that  as  early 
as  1325,  the  Aztecs  founded  upon  the  shores  of  Lake  Tez- 
cuco,  the  city  of  Tenochtitlan,  now  known  as  the  city  of 
Mexico. 

These  facts  are  found  recorded  in  a  copy  of  the  Cronica 
de  la  Neuva  Espana,  published  at  Medina,  in  Spain,  a? 


32  FATHER    KINO. 

early  as  1553,  and  written  by  one  Francisco  Lopez  de 
Gomara,  who  claimed  to  give  an  authentic  history  of  the 
Aztec  race,  from  the  founding  of  the  city  of  Mexico  up  to 
that  time. 

A  few  years  later,  one  Bernal  Diaz,  a  licentiate  of  the 
Cortez  expedition,  and  its  chief  and  only  reliable  historian, 
produced  a  volume  covering  the  same  ground  gone  over  by 
Gomara.  From  these  two  authors  we  derive  most  of  the 
knowledge  we  have  concerning  this  wonderful  nation,  aid 
its  remarkable  civilization. 

It  was  through  the  Territory  of  Arizona  that  Marco  de 
Niza  made  his  explorations  as  early  as  1535;  and  it  was  to 
ascertain  the  truth  of  the  wonderful  stories  told  by  Niza 
concerning  the  wealth  of  the  country,  and  its  marvellous 
beauties,  that  Coronado's  expedition  was  organized  in  1540. 
It  was  not,  however,  until  1658,  that  any  other  expedi 
tion  was  organized  of  which  we  have  any  authentic  account. 
There  are  now  in  the  monastery  of  Dolores,  in  Zacatecas, 
old  records  and  parchments,  which  show  that  in  that  year 
an  old  Jesuit  priest,  by  name  Eusebius  Francis  Kino,  in 
spired  solely  by  religious  motives,  set  out,  determined  to 
visit  and  explore,  in  the  name  of  the  church,  the  country 
which  had  for  so  many  years  poured  into  the  coffers  of  the 
Spaniards  so  much  of  its  native  wealth.  Single  and  alone 
this  brave  old  padre  started  forth  from  the  mission  Dolores 
to  go,  he  knew  not  whither, —  the  cross  his  only  protection, 


THE   INHABITANTS.  33 

the  wilderness  through  which  he  must  pass  his  only  pur 
veyor.  Persevering  in  the  face  of  the  most  trying  diffi 
culties,  he  succeeded  in  reaching  a  river, —  supposed  to  be 
the  Santa  Cruz,  in  what  is  now  the  province  of  Sonora. 
He  followed  the  course  of  this  river  until  he  reached  its 
junction  with  the  Gila.  He  then  descended  the  Gila, 
examining  the  country  as  well  as  he  could  on  his  way, 
Crossing  the  Gila  near  its  mouth,  he  retraced  his  steps, 
and  ascended  the  river  on  the  north  bank,  passing  through 
a  country  the  most  wonderful  ever  seen  by  the  eye  of 
man. 

He  found  it  inhabited  by  a  people  who  were  kind,  gener 
ous,  and  hospitable  in  the  extreme,  the  better  class  living  in 
houses  built  of  adobes,  while  the  more  common  people  built 
their  houses  of  sticks  set  in  the  ground,  and  bound  together 
at  the  top  by  ropes  made  from  the  fibrous  leaf  of  the  mag 
uey,  and  thatched  with  bundles  of  long  grass. 

These  houses,  he  declares,  were  well-constructed  and  com 
fortable.     Their  towns  and  villages  he  describes  as  situated 
upon   the    banks  of  the   streams,  and  generally  built  upoL 
mesas,  and  well    adapted   for   defence.     He  represents  the 
population  as  vast,  the  settled  portion  of  the  country  extend 
ing  from  river  to  river;  the  inhabitants  frugal,  industriou? 
and  contented.     They  manufactured  a  kind  of   cotton  clotl 
from  the  leaf  of  the  maguey,  which  grew  in  great  profusion 
all  over  the  country.     He  found  them  very  expert  in  making 
5 


34  MANNER    OF  LIVING. 

the  most  beautiful  feather-work,  which  they  colored  with 
dyes,  both  mineral  and  vegetable,  manufactured  by  them 
selves.  They  were  also  well  versed  in  the  art  of  picture- 
writing,  which  they  practised  to  a  great  degree,  upon  the 
walls  of  their  dwellings — as  also  upon  the  walls  of  their 
eslufas,  or  public  buildings,  which  were  very  smooth  and 
well-finished,  where  a  kind  of  record  was  kept  of  the  re 
markable  events  in  their  history. 

They  used  a  kind  of  paper  made  of  the  cotton  cloth  above- 
mentioned,  prepared  with  a  coating  of  gum;  they  also  pos 
sessed  nicely-dressed  skins,  or  kind  of  Egyptian  papyrus. 

He  found  among  them  many  beautiful  specimens  of  pot 
tery  ware,  as  well  as  utensils  and  vessels  made  of  gold  and 
silver,  of  which  they  had  great  store.  He  says  some  of  the 
articles  manufactured  were  of  fine  design  and  elegant  work 
manship,  made  with  tools  fashioned  from  copper  and  tin 
amalgamated,  which  ores  were  found  in  great  abundance  in 
the  surrounding  mountains.  They  irrigated  their  ground,* 
and  raised  corn,  beans,  and  cacao,  from  the  berry  of  which 
they  made  a  delicious  beverage,  called  chocotatl.  They 
also  extracted  from  the  stalk  of  the  corn  a  saccharine  mat 
ter,  from  which  they  manufactured  a  very  good  sugar.  He 
tells  of  a  kind  of  liquor  made  from  the  fermented  juice  oi 
the  maguey,  or  Mexican  aloe,  which  was  most  singular  in 
its  effects.  The  uses  of  this  plant  were  truly  wonderful, 

*  Irrigation  is  still  practised  in  the  Territory. 


FORM  OF    WORSHIP.  35 

furnishing  the  natives  with  pins,  needles,  paper,  rope,  cloth, 
thatch  for  their  dwellings,  meat,  and  drink.* 

Father  Kino  describes  their  flocks  and  herds  as  immense, 
although  they  had  no  horses  or  draught  cattle,  and  says 
they  understood  mining  to  some  extent, — not  mere  surface 
labor,  but  extracting  the  ore  from  veins  which  they  opened 
in  the  solid  rock,  unearthing  vast  quantities  of  gold  and 
silver,  which  they  seemed  to  value  only  as  it  contributed  to 
their  comfort  when  made  into  articles  of  use  or  ornament. 

Of  their  religion,  he  says  they  worshipped  the  sun  as 
God;  and  upon  all  their  altars  kept  a  flame  burning,  which 
wa§  never  permitted  to  become  extinguished,  the  simple- 
hearted  people  believing  that  to  this  fact  they  were  indebted 
for  the  comfort  and  happiness  they  enjoyed  as  a  nation. 

In  short,  he  found  them  resembling,  in  personal  appear 
ance  and  general  characteristics,  the  Aztecs  described  by 
Gomara  and  Diaz,  only  differing  from  them  in  their  more 
peaceful  pursuits  and  disinclination  for  warlike  strife.  In 
his  travels  Father  Kino  passed  to  the  south  of  the  Fire 
Mountain,!  through  a  portion  of  the  Black  Forest,  to  the 
northeast,  where,  after  many  weary  days  of  toil  and  travel, 
he  struck  the  head  waters  of  the  Mimbres.  This  stream  he 

*  To  this  day  the  native  Mexicans  in  Arizona,  as  well  as  in  Mexico,  use 
this  plant  for  nearly,  if  not  quite,  all  the  productions  obtained  from  it  by  the 
Aztecs. 

+  Supposed  to  be  the  San  Francisco  Mountain. 


36  FATHER  KINO'S  DETERMINATION. 

followed  until  suddenly  its  waters  were  lost  in  the  earth. 
After  describing  the  astonishment  with  which  he  beheld 
the  vast  volume  of  water  seemingly  disappear  before  his 
very  eyes,  he  says,  "But  I  ought  not  to  be  astonished  at 
anything  I  see,  for  it  is  a  country  full  of  all  that  is  strange 
and  wonderful,  possessing  more  marvels  than  I  could  tell 
of,  were  I  to  write  for  a  year." 

After  spending  some  months  in  this  portion  of  the  country, 
and  trying  in  vain  to  instruct  the  people  in  the  religion  which 
he  preached,  he  finally  determined  to  retrace  his  steps. 
Commencing  his  weary  journey  homeward,  he  again  passed 
through  the  same  country  that  had  so  delighted  him, 
only  to  become  more  determined  than  ever  to  plant  the 
cross  there,  and  teach  the  inhabitants  the  doctrines  of  the 
Catholic  church.  After  an  absence  of  more  than  four  years, 
Father  Kino  found  himself  once  more  at  the  monastery 
from  which  he  had  set  forth  on  his  perilous  undertaking, 
firmly  resolved  to  enlist  the  aid  and  sympathy  of  the  church 
to  enable  him  to  return,  and,  in  the  name  of  the  cross, 
take  possession  of  the  country  through  which  he  had  passed. 
This  determination  necessitated  his  making  a  journey  to  the 
city  of  Mexico,  where  he  proposed  to  lay  the  matter  before 
the  head  of  the  church.  Fired  with  the  thought  of  the 
beauties  of  the  country,  of  its  immense  mineral  wealth, 
of  its  industrious  and  peaceful  inhabitants,  his  eloquence 
soon  overcame  any  feeble  opposition  that  he  encountered, 


A   NEW  EXPEDITION.  37 

and  he  shortly  received  the  authority  necessary  to  enable  him 
to  return,  and  civilize  and  Christianize  these  civilized 
pagans  of  the  sixteenth  century.  Unavoidable  delays  oc 
curred,  however,  and  it  was  not  until  seven  years  later,  in 
1665,  that  he  finally  succeeded  in  making  the  necessary  and 
h'nal  arrangements  to  return,  and  spread  the  Gospel  among 
the  simple-minded  natives  of  Cibola. 

Late  in  the  year  1670,  he,  in  company  with  three  other 
Jesuits,  set  out  upon  their  mission  through  the  wilderness. 
Of  their  long  journey,  the  hardships  which  they  endured, 
the  trials  and  dangers  which  they  passed  through,  or  the 
difficulties  which  they  encountered,  we  have  no  record;  we 
only  know  that  in  the  year  1672,  they  reached  the  Gil  a, 
and  there  commenced  the  establishment  of  a  mission  among 
the  Yaquis.  From  this  time  until  1679,  they  established  no 
less  than  five  missions  among  the  Yaquis,  the  Opotos,  and 
the  Papagoes,  locating  them  *in  beautiful  valleys,  yielding 
rich  treasures  of  precious  stones,  while  th^  •  now-clad  peaks 
of  the  surrounding  mountains  furnished  gcTd,  silver,  and 
copper  in  the  greatest  abundance. 

The  natives,  simple  and  industrious  as  they  wore,  were 
easily  persuaded  to  labor  upon  the  edifices  there  erected, 
and  thus  aided  in  forging  the  chains  that  aftenyarcfc  helped 
so  effectually  to  render  them  powerless  to  defend  themselves 
from  the  attacks  of  foes  beyond  their  boundaries,  but  ?>pon 
whose  territory  the  cupidity  of  the  priests  had  led  their  to 
encroach. 


38  WAR    WITH   THE   APACHES. 

Obedient  to  the  wishes  and  commands  of  the  Jesuits,  the 
natives  were  induced  to  venture  upon  soil  outside  of  their 
boundaries,  and  thus  incurred  the  enmity  of  a  large  and 
powerful  tribe  of  native  Indians,  who  inhabited  the  country 
north  of,  and  adjoining,  their  own. 

The  adventurous  spirit  of  the  Spaniards,  as  well  as  their 
avarice,  manifested  itself  in  so  many  ways,  that  the  Apaches 
were  roused  to  resistance,  as  well  as  to  a  desire  to  punish  the 
invaders. 

It  was  not,  however,  until  the  year  1680,  that  the  Apaches 
made  any  open  demonstrations  of  hostile  intentions;  but 
they  then  attacked  the  Spanish  settlements  in  such  over 
whelming  numbers,  that  resistance  was  useless,  and  the 
missionaries  were  obliged  to  flee  for  their  lives.  Gathering 
together  such  spoils  as  they  could  take  with  them,  they 
abandoned  their  mission  settlements,  leaving  the  people  to 
carry  out  the  unequal  contest  alone,  and  bear  the  brunt  of 
the  burden  which  the  cowardly  Spaniards  had,  by  their  cul 
pable  avarice,  incited.  Again  and  again  did  they  attempt 
to  return,  being  extremely  loth  to  yield  the  rich  harvest  of 
gold  and  silver  annually  received  as  tribute  from  the  unsus 
pecting  natives,  who  still  remained  friendly  to,  and  allies 
with,  the  men  who  had  told  them  of  their  God,  and  taught 
them  that  they  might  extinguish  the  sacred  flame  that  for 
generations  had  been  kept  burning  upon  their  altars,  ded 
icated  to  the  unknown  God. 


WAR    WITH  THE  APACHES.  39 

As  often  as  the  missionaries  returned,  and  were  attacked, 
the  natives  rallied  to  their  defence;  but  the  constant  war 
waged  by  the  Apaches  soon  destroyed  many  of  their  finest 
cities  and  towns,  completely  ravaging  their  most  thriving 
settlements,  massacring  the  people,  and  thus,  ultimately, 
compelling  the  Jesuits  to  abandon  their  missions,  and  seek 
refuge  far  in  the  interior  of  Mexico,  while  the  remnants  of 
a  once  happy  and  prosperous  people  became  victims  to  a 
horde  of  blood-thirsty  savages,  who  thus  commenced  the 
extirpation  of  a  civilization,  the  remains  of  which  are  to-day 
a  source  of  wonder  and  admiration,  the  like  of  which  may 
never  again  be  seen  on  that  portion  of  our  continent.  To 
day  Arizona  presents  a  sad  spectacle,  one  that  cannot  fail 
to  impress  the  beholder  with  wonder  and  regret;  for  its 
mute  sentinels  silently  point  to  a  civilization  centuries  old, 
which  has  not  even  the  poor  consolation  of  a  history  to- 
"ecord  its  rise  and  fall. 


CHAPTER   II 


ROM  the  time  of  the  abandon 
ment  of  the  Spanish  missions 
in  Arizona  in  1680,  but  little 
attention  appears  to  have 
been  paid  to  instilling  into 
the  minds  of  the  natives  any 
desire  to  learn  more  of  the 
mysteries  of  that  religion  of 
which  old  Father  Kino  was 
the  true  expounder  and  great 
practical  teacher. 

The  Spanish  government  seems  to  have  devoted  itself  en 
tirely  to  developing  the  vast  mineral  wealth  of  the  country 
so  wonderfully  portrayed  by  Cortez,  Diaz,  De  Cardenas, 
Niza,  Gomara,  Juan  Matio,  and  Mangi,  who  accompanied 
Father  Kino  upon  his  mission  in  1670. 

However  else  they  may  differ,  all  these  writers  agree  in 
their  statements  regarding  the  almost  fabulous  mineral 


MASSES    OF   VIRGIN  SILVER.  41 

wealth  of  the  country,  describing  its  valleys  as  rich  in  pre 
cious  stones,  and  its  mountains  as  filled  with  silver,  gold, 
and  copper. 

Baron  Humboldt,  Ward  the  English  ambassador,  and 
Wilson  of  later  years,  fully  corroborate  these  statements; 
and  their  testimony  is  confirmed  by  the  records  of  the 
Spanish  crown,  which  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  dues  paid 
on  masses  of  virgin  silver,  weighing  from  twenty  to  as  high 
as  two  hundred  and  eighty-four  pounds. 

If  the  reader  is  sufficiently  curious  to  visit  the  old  Custom 
House  at  Quay  mas,  in  Sonora,  these  statements  can  be  sub 
stantiated  by  reference  to  the  records  found  there.  Among 
the  archives  therein  contained  is  rather  a  remarkable  one, 
establishing  the  fact  that,  in  1683,  the  King's  attorney 
brought  suit  to  recover  from  the  proprietor  of  the  Real  del 
Carmen  mine,  one  Don  Roderigo  Gandera,  a  mass  of  virgin 
silver,  taken  by  him  from  his  mine,  weighing  twenty-eight 
hundred  pounds,  which  the  officer  claimed  as  belonging  to 
the  King,  because  it  was  a  curiosity;  and  all  curiosities 
taken  from  the  soil,  of  whatever  kind  or  nature,  belonged 
to  His  Most  Gracious  Majesty. 

We  are  quite  sure  that  the  reader  will  agree  with  us  in 
considering  such  a  mass  of  virgin  silver  as  a  curiosity  in 
deed,  but  no  greater  one,  perhaps,  than  the  doctrine  laid 
down  by  the  King's  most  eminent  counsel  in  the  case. 

This  was,  without  doubt,  the  largest  mass  of  virgin  silver 


42  TESTIMONY  OF  MODERN    WRITERS. 

ever  found  in  the  world,  and  its  actual  existence  seems  to 
admit  of  no  question;  for  so  well-authenticated  is  its  history , 
that  the  King  himself  gave  to  the  country  producing  it  the 
name  of  Arizuma,  or  silver-bearing,  from  which  the  Territory 
has  derived  its  present  name  —  Arizona. 

Humboldt  says  that,  "Up  to  the  beginning  of  the  present 
century,  the  quantity  of  silver  taken  from  the  American 
mines  has  exceeded  that  of  gold  in  the  ratio  of  forty-six 
to  one."  * 

Other  and  more  modern  writers,  in  commenting  upon  the 
vast  quantity  of  treasure  taken  from  these  mines  with  the 
rude  implements  of  those  early  days,  and  the  crude  manner 
then  in  vogue  of  assaying  the  ore,  declare  that  fully  one 
half  was  lost  or  wasted  in  getting  at  the  results  there  ob 
tained, —  statements  that  are  verified  by  the  richness  of  the 
refuse  slag  left  by  the  miners,  thousands  of  tons  of  which 
to-day  are  to  be  seen  near  all  the  old  mines  worked  by  the 
Spaniards.  Notwithstanding  all  these  obstacles,  we  are  told 
that  up  to  the  beginning  of  the  present  century,  more  than 
twelve  million  ounces  had  been  paid  as  tribute  to  Spain,  the 
tribute  being  established  at  one  real\  in  eight  —  no  inconsid 
erable  amount,  if  we  calculate  the  loss,  waste,  and  stealings— 
for  the  Spaniards  are  adepts  in  this  latter  accomplishment 
even  to  the  present  day  —  that  necessarily  followed  the 
honest  production  of  this  amount  of  revenue  to  His  Most 

*  Political  Essays  of  New  Spain,  Vol.  3.  f  12£  cents. 


GEOGRAPHICAL  POSITION.  43 

Gracious  Majesty,  the  King.  One  can  scarcely  conceive  the 
amount  of  treasure  these  mines  have  yielded;  and  when  we 
reflect  that  the  value  of  the  peso  d'oro,  or  ounce  of  silver, 
in  those  days,  was  equal  to  eleven  dollars  and  sixty-seven 
cents^  the  yield  is  simply  enormous. 

Certain  it  is  that  these  mines  have  always  been,  and 
still  are,  the  richest  in  the  known  world;  they  lack  but  one 
thing  to  make  them  the  most  valuable,  and  that  is,  protec 
tion  to  the  miner.  Do  you  ask  me  why,  if  these  assertions 
are  true,  the  Territory  of  Arizona  is  so  little  known?  Why 
her  mining  wealth  is,  as  yet,  undeveloped  by  the  present 
age  ?  Let  me  tell  you.  The  mines  are  mostly  situated  in 
the  western  and  northern  portions  of  the  Territory,  in  the 
midst  of  the  Apache  country, —  a  country  inhabited  by  the 
most  cruel  and  barbarous  race  of  Indians  living  on  the 
American  continent,  and  who  to-day  bear  the  same  distin 
guishing  traits  which  characterized  them  in  the  days  of 
brave  old  Father  Kino,  more  than  two  centuries  ago. 

Let  us  leave  the  subject  of  the  silver  mines,  however,  to 
be  further  discussed,  with  that  of  the  Apache  tribes,  in  other 
chapters;  and  I  will  ask  the  reader  to  accompany  me  for  a 
few  moments,  and  glance  at  the  geographical  position  of 
Arizona,  as  located  on  the  map. 

We  see  at  once  its  complete  isolation  from  all  the  civ 
ilized  possessions  of  "Uncle  Sam."  With  no  port  of  entry, 
nor  communication  with  the  Gulf  of  California;  separated 


44  DISADVANTAGES. 

from  the  State  of  California  by  a  desert,  across  which  it  re 
quires  a  man  of  stout  heart  to  venture,  and  then  only  when 
provided  with  a  numerous  escort,  and  no  niggardly  amount 
of  ammunition  and  provisions;  surrounded  by  ranges  of 
almost  impassable  mountains;  twelve  hundred  miles  from 
Lavaca,  the  nearest  seaport  in  Texas,  six  hundred  of  which 
are  through  a  country  almost  destitute  of  water,  and  inhabited 
by  a  race  of  Indians  second  only  to  the  Apaches  in  barbarity 
and  cruelty. 

Is  it  any  wonder  that  Arizona,  rich  though  it  is  in  its 
mineral  wealth,  with  its  fertile  valleys  untilled,  its  uplands 
shorn  of  their  flocks  and  herds,  its  settlers'  homes  ravished 
and  desolated  by  bands  of  marauding  savages,  should  fail 
to  attract  by  its  beauties,  what  it  embraces  but  to  destroy? 
That  its  mines  are  less  known  than  those  of  Washoe,  Idaho, 
Nevada,  or  Colorado? 

Remember,  too,  that  Arizona  never  yet  possessed  a  pop 
ulation  of  more  than  two  thousand  Americans,  and  those 
the  worst  class  of  gamblers,  renegades,  and  cut-throats  that 
could,  by  any  possibility,  be  gathered  together  from  the  four 
quarters  of  the  globe,  a  very  large  portion  of  whom  sought 
a  home  in  Arizona,  only  when  driven  by  the  Vigilance 
Committees  of  Texas  and  California,  to  find  some  country 
where  law  was  unknown,  and  justice  recognized  only  so  far 
as  it  suited  the  particular  ideas  of  the  party  administering 
it,  and  who,  under  its  sacred  guise,  assumed  the  right  to 


QUESTIONS.  45 

gratify  his  worst  passions,  answerable  only  to  the  stronger, 
or  most  dexterous  in  the  use  of  the  bowie-knife,  or  pistol. 

Do  not  these  facts  answer,  in  some  measure,  at  least,  the 
questions  of  the  reader?  We  trust  so,  although  we  say,  in 
truth,  that  the  half  has  not  been  told. 

If  you  will  accompany  us  in  our  travels  through  the  Ter 
ritory,  visit  the  ruins  of  its  vast  cities  and  towns  centuries 
old,  descend  with  us  into  its  deep  mines,  admire  its  won 
derful  scenery,  stand  upon  the  brink  of  its  vast  canons,  gaze 
out  upon  its  mighty  rivers,  enjoy  the  quiet  of  a  camp  in  its 
beautiful  valleys,  or  share  the  perils  of  an  Apache  fight,  we 
shall  soon  be  able  to  convince  you  that  Arizona  is  the  most 
marvellous  portion  of  this  wonderful  country  —  America. 


CHAPTER    III. 

T  the  time  when  the  western 
boundary  of  the  southern  por 
tion  of  our  Republic  was 
declared  by  the  treaty  of 
Guadalupe  Hidalgo,  to  be  the 
Rio  Grande,  there  lay  south 
of  the  Territory  of  New  Mex 
ico,  and  west  of  that  part  of 
Texas  known  as  the  ''Pan 
Handle,"  extending  through 
to  the  Pacific  coast,  a  strip  of  what  was  supposed  to  be 
an  arid,  worthless  country,  nearly,  if  not  quite,  destitute 
of  water,  intersected  by  a  number  of  ranges  of  moun 
tains  and  vast  deserts,  inhabited  chiefly  by  Indians,  and 
utterly  useless  for  any  practical  purpose  that  could  be 
imagined. 

This  tract  of  country  was  about  four  hundred   and   sixty 
miles   in    length,  by  one   hundred  and   thirty  in   its  widest 

(46) 


PURCHASE  BY  THE    UNITED  STATES.          47 

pail,  and  contained  about  forty  thousand  square  miles, 
forming,  at  that  time,  a  portion  of  the  State  of  Sonora. 

It  was  acquired  by  purchase  from  the  Mexican  government 
in  1853,  and  was  then  known  as  the  "Gadsden  Purchase,"  for 
which  the  United  States  paid  the  sum  of  ten  million  dollars. 

The  commissioners  who  made  the  treaty  were  greatly 
surprised  and  perplexed  at  the  manifest  reluctance  of  Mexico 
to  part  with  this  strip  of  apparently  worthless  land;  and 
those  few  Americans  who  took  any  interest  in  the  acts  of 
the  commissioners,  were  equally  perplexed  to  know  what 
the  United  States  proposed  to  do  with  the  purchase. 

Not  one  of  our  people  then  realized  or  imagined  that  by 
this  purchase  the  United  States  had  acquired  a  large  portion 
of  the  identical  country  for  which  Cortez  imperilled  the 
possession  of  an  empire;  for  which  Coronado's  expedition, 
under  the  direction  of  the  viceroy  Mendoza,  was  fitted  out; 
for  which  De  Soto  so  long  sought,  but  never  found ;  the  land 
of  which  Spanish  poets  had  for  centuries  sung,  and  for  which 
kings  had  so  long  sighed;  the  country  that  for  three  hun 
dred  years  had  yielded  by  far  the  greater  portion  of  the 
immense  treasury  that  filled  the  coffers  of  Spain. 

The  territory  was  but  sparsely  inhabited  at  the  time  of 
the  purchase,  there  being  only  about  sixty  families  in  the 
celebrated  "Mesilla  Valley,"  who  had  settled  there  on  the 
first  of  March,  1850,  with  Don  Raphael  Ruelas  as  their 
leader,  under  the  auspices  of  the  "Chihuahua  Colonization 


48  "HEAD  RIGHTS  r 

Society,"  of  which  Kt.  Kev.  Ramon  Ortiz  was  commissioner 
and  a  small  Sonoranian  settlement  around  the  old  Mexican 
fort  of  Tucson,  near  the  centre  of  the  purchase. 

There  were,  also,  some  thirty  Americans  in  the  country, 
who  had  gone  there  to  "spekelate"  in  "head  rights"  that 
had  been  issued  by  the  State  of  Texas  to  such  persons  as 
had  served  in  her  wars. 

These  head  rights  were  for  six  hundred  and  forty  acres 
of  land  each,  and  entitled  the  possessor  to  select  any  un 
occupied  land  in  the  State. 

These  claimants  generally  cared  little  where  they  located, 
and  in  many  instances  they  seemed  to  regard  a  "head 
right"  as  a  sort  of  nest-egg,  locating  their  mile  square  of 
land,  and  claiming  around  it  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach 
in  every  direction.  They  frequently  entered  upon  the  cul 
tivated  lands,  that  .had  been  in  the  quiet  possession  of  the 
descendants  of  old  Spanish  families  for  centuries. 

If  one  of  the  Mexicans  dared  to  remonstrate  in  any  way 
Cor  the  unwarrantable  intrusion,  he  was  answered  by  the 
Jirk  or  revolver,  an  argument  that  always  "settled  it." 
The  Mexican  invariably  "vamosed  the  ranche,"  leaving 
*he  "spekelator"  in  undisputed  possession.  It  was  the 
facility  with  which  these  "head  rights"  were  located,  that 
induced  those  Texans,  who  were  found  occupying  the  ter- 
.•itory  in  '53,  to  "Go  West,"  where  they  could  enjoy  the 
fascinating  life  of  the  Mexican  frontier. 


THE   RIO  MIMBRES.  49 

Here  they  were  free  and  untrammelled,  and  away  from 
those  laws  which,  at  that  time,  were  rigidly  enforced  in  the 
interest  of  those  who  had  families  in  that  State. 

In  all,  there  were  about  one  thousand  souls  inhabiting  the 
purchase,  aside  from  the  native  Indian  tribes. 

During  the  next  few  years,  there  was  little  change  in  the 
Territory. 

By  an  act  of  Congress,  in  1854,  it  was  attached  to  New 
Mexico,  a  commissioner  appointed  to  survey  the  boundary 
line  between  Mexico  and  the  United  States;  and  it  is  from 
the  report  of  this  'expedition,  as  well  as  from  subsequent 
surveys,  that  we  derive  much  valuable  information  concern 
ing  the  country  at  that  time. 

Forty  miles  west  of  the  Rio  Grande,  is  the  Mimbres 
River,  one  of  those  singular  streams  which  are  so  common 
in  that  country.  It  sinks  into  the  plain  in  places,  reap 
pearing  miles  below,  and  then  flows  on  as  peacefully  as 
if  its  mad  freaks  had  never  astonished  old  Father  Kino,  or 
travellers  of  more  modern  date. 

In  1858,  the  writer,  in  company  with  three  other  gentle 
men,  determined  to  visit  the  copper  mines  situated  on  the 
Rio  Mimbres,  and  known  as  Santa  Rita  del  Cobre.  Pro 
curing  a  guide,  and  the  necessary  mules  and  attendants,  we 
set  forth  from  the  town  of  Mesilla,  one  bright  morning  in 
June.  No  lovelier  day  could  have  dawned. 

Our  party  numbered  seven  persons,  and,  including  our 

7 


50  REMARKABLE  HOT  SPRING. 

pack  mules,  thirteen  animals.  Striking  on  to  the  highlands 
northwest  from  the  town,  we  soon  left  the  beautiful  valley 
of  La  Mesilla  behind  us,  although  the  grand  and  lofty  peaks 
of  "Los  Organos,"  lying  directly  east  of  Mesilla,  remained 
in  sight  during  the  whole  day.  We  passed  a  few  ruined 
ranches,  but  saw  nothing  worthy  of  note,  save  here  and 
there  a  spot,  pointed  out  by  our  guide,  where  travellers 
had  been  murdered  by  the  Apaches. 

Camping  for  the  night  near  a  small  aroya,  through  which 
ran  a  little  stream,  we  reached  the  next  day  the  Mimbres 
River.  Crossing  its  bed,  we  commenced  the  ascent  of  its 
west  bank,  which  we  followed  for  about  ten  miles,  when 
our  guide  informed  us  that  we  were  near  the  "Ojo  Cali- 
ente,"  or  hot  spring.  We  determined  to  visit  it,  and 
encamp  there  for  the  night.  It  is  among  the  most  remark 
able  springs  I  have  ever  seen.  It  lies  in  the  top  of  a 
mound  nine  hundred  and  sixty-two  feet  in  circumference  at 
its  base,  and  forty-six  feet  in  height,  the  whole  mound  being 
undoubtedly  a  deposit  made  by  the  water  of  the  spring. 
We  found  the  surface  of  the  water,  about  five  feet  below  the 
top  of  the  mound,  very  clear  and  quite  hot,  showing  a  tem 
perature  of  135°  Fahrenheit,  while  it  discharged  large  quan 
tities  of  carbonic  acid  gas.  When  cooled,  it  was  quite 
palatable. 

About  seventy-five  feet  from  the  summit  of  the  mound  is 
a  small  opening,  through  which  the  water  pours,  in  a  little 


GOLD  AND   COPPER  MINES.  51 

y 

stream,  into  a  pool  at  its  base,  evidently  designed  for  bath 
ing  purposes.  We  tried  it,  and  found,  even  then,  as  hot  a 
bath  as  we  cared  to  take.  The  medicinal  properties  of  this 
water  are  said  to  be  very  wonderful;  and,  judging  from 
cases  which  have  come  under  our  own  observation,  we  think 
they  have  not  been  overrated.  In  scrofulous  and  syphilitic 
cases  they  are  especially  efficacious. 

Leaving  the  "Ojo  Caliente"  early  the  next  morning,  we 
journeyed  as  far  as  the  "Santa  Rita  del  Cobre,"  where  we 
arrived  about  night-fall.  These  mines  are  situated  in  a 
magnificent  valley  abounding  in  the  most  luxuriant  vegeta 
tion,  and  surrounded  by  lofty  mountains,  whose  peaks  are 
crowned  with  ice  and  snow,  while  the  country  for  leagues 
around  is  covered  with  exceedingly  valuable  timber.  That 
these  mines  were  worked  as  early  as  1678,  is  undoubtedly 
true,  although  we  have  no  authentic  history  of  them  until 
1799,  in  which  year  they  furnished  employment  for  some  six 
hundred  persons  who  came  there  from  Chihuahua,  four  hun 
dred  miles  distant.  Provisions  were  dispatched  by  mule  and 
ox  teams  to  the  miners  every  month,  and  the  wagons  were 
freighted  back  with  ore,  which  was  delivered  to  the  Mexican 
government  at  a  cost  of  sixty-five  cents  per  pound,  the  gov 
ernment  extracting  from  it  more  than  enough  gold  to  pay 
for  the  ore,  using  the  copper  only  for  purposes  of  coinage, 
it  being  far  superior  to  any  other  copper  known  to  them. 
Masses  of  virgin  copper  have  been  taken  from  these  mines 


52  SANDSTONE  FORMATIONS. 

weighing  tons;  and  the  ore  itself,  which  is  a  red  oxide, 
seems  inexhaustible. 

We  spent  several  days  in  this  vicinity,  during  which  time 
we  visited  some  remarkable  sandstone  formations  near  by. 

We  found  about  forty  columns,  worn  by  the  winds  and 
rains  into  most  singular  shapes.  One  of  them  measured 
nearly  sixty  feet  in  height,  and  more  closely  resembled  an 
inverted  bottle  than  anything  we  could  compare  it  to.  At 
its  greatest  circumference  it  measured  eighteen  feet,  while 
at  its  base  it  was  scarcely  three  feet.  Some  looked  like 
churches,  towers,  castles,  or  barracks,  and  others  very  like 
human  beings  of  colossal  proportions.  So  striking  were 
these  resemblances,  that  it  was  hard  to  believe  the  hand  of 
man  had  nothing  to  do  with  their  formation. 

It  was  on  the  return  from  these  mines  that  our  party 
met  with  an  adventure,  which  may  not  prove  uninteresting 
in  this  connection. 

Our  attendants,  with  the  pack  mules,  had  gone  on  early 
in  the  morning  to  select  a  camping-ground,  and  give  our 
burdened  animals  a  chance  to  rest,  while,  later  in  the  day, 
our  party  of  three  accompanied  by  the  guide,  started  to 
overtake  them. 

As  we  rode  along  carelessly,  laughing  and  jesting,  I 
noticed  that  the  mule  ridden  by  Mr.  Laws  showed  unmis 
takable  signs  that  Indians  were  near.  Calling  attention  to 
the  fact,  it  w.is  voted  a  false  alarm,  Dr.  Steck  remarking, 


SKIRMISH   WITH  THE  APACHES.  53 

jocosely,  that  savages  though  they  were,  still  they  knew 
better  than  to  attack  their  " Great  Father,"  as  he  was  called 
by  nearly  all  the  Indian  tribes  in  the  Territory;  therefore 
no  further  attention  was  paid  to  the  matter. 

We  had  just  entered  a  small  canon,  or  pass,  through  the 
hills  to  the  prairies  beyond.  Rocks  bare  and  sterile  towered 
far  above  us  on  either  side.  The  only  vegetation  visible 
was  an  occasional  cactus,  twenty  or  thirty  feet  in  height, 
and  three  or  four  feet  in  circumference,  fluted  with  the 
regularity  of  a  Corinthian  column,  and  covered  with  beau 
tiful  variegated  blossoms;  or,  perchance,  high  up  in  a  cleft 
of  the  rocks,  a  prickly-pear,  with  its  bright  green  leaves, 
and  magnificent  scarlet  flowers,  looking  like  the  gift  of  some 
good  fairy,  hung  there  to  relieve  the  eye  by  contrast  with 
the  sombre  background  of  the  rock. 

Suddenly  the  appalling  war-whoop  of  the  Apaches  sounded 
on  our  ears  like  a  death-knell,  echoed  from  side  to  side  by 
the  massive  walls.  It  resembled  the  incarnate  shrieks  of 
ten  thousand  devils  holding  high  carnival  over  the  agony 
of  some  lost  soul. 

Startled  as  we  were,  we  yet  had  presence  of  mind  enough 
to  spur  our  mules  forward  towards  the  mouth  of  the  canon, 
which  was  only  a  short  distance  before  us.  It  took  but  a 
moment  to  reach  it;  and  as  we  escaped  from  between  the 
gloomy  walls  out  into  the  beautiful  green  prairie,  we 
uttered  an  involuntary  shout  of  triumph;  but  alas!  it  came 


54  LOSS   OF  A  COMRADE. 

too  soon.  One  of  the  shower  of  arrows  sent  whizzing  after 
us,  struck  poor  Laws  in  the  back,  and  he  fell  from  his 
saddle  dead,  his  riderless  animal  galloping  frantically  over 
the  plain. 

To  reach  the  nearest  knoll,  out  of  range  of  the  arrows 
of  the  Apaches,  was  but  the  work  of  an  instant.  Here 
we  halted,  determined  to  sell  our  lives  as  dearly  as 
possible. 

We  waited  an  hour,  revolvers  in  hand,  for  the  appearance 
of  the  Indians,  but  they  did  not  come.  We  then  cautiously 
proceeded  to  remove  the  dead  body  of  our  companion, 
which  still  lay  where  it  had  fallen;  and,  taking  it  on  our 
saddles  before  us,  sadly  rode  to  the  highest  eminence  we 
could  find  in  the  vicinity,  and  there  encamped.  When 
night  had  veiled  the  earth  in  its  shadows,  by  the  soft  light 
of  the  moon  we  hastily  scooped  a  shallow  grave  with  such 
implements  as  were  at  hand,  and  deposited  within  its  nar 
row  walls  the  body  of  our  comrade. 

Lest  the  fresh  earth  should  disclose  the  location  of  the 
grave  to  those  human  hyenas,  whose  rapacity  knows  no 
bounds,  we  coralled  our  animals  above  the  spot,  that  their 
uneasy  footsteps  through  the  night  might  obliterate  all 
traces  of  our  sad  labor. 

Regretfully  we  turned  away  from  the  lonely  resting-place 
of  our  friend ;  and  as  we  wrapped  ourselves  in  our  blankets, 
while  Dr.  Steck  kept  guard,  I  shall  never  forget  the  im- 


TOUCHING   NOTE  FROM  HIS  MOTHER.  55 

pressiou  made  upon  my  mind  by  his  repeating,  with  a  beauty 
and  pathos  indescribable,  these  touching  lines, — 

"No  useless  coffin  enclosed  his  breast, 

Nor  in  sheet,  nor  in  shroud  \ve  wound  him, 
But  he  lay  like  a  warrior  taking  his  rest, 
With  his  martial  cloak  around  him. " 

Three  months  later  I  received  from  a  heart-broken  mother 
in  Philadelphia,  a  few  lines,  acknowledging  the  receipt  of 
a  lock  of  hair,  and  some  articles  we  had  taken  from  the 
body,  and  thanking  us  in  such  language  as  only  a  mother 
could  use,  for  the  last  sad  offices  performed  towards  her 
first-born  and  only  son.  God  help  her  I 

There  are  many  mothers  in  our  land,  who,  like  her, 
mourn  for  their  sons,  whose  bones  lie  bleaching  on  the 
plains  of  Arizona,  denied  even  the  poor  consolation  of  the 
thought,  that  a  few  handsful  of  earth  hide  them  from  the 
rapacity  of  the  Apache  and  the  prairie  wolf. 


CHAPTER    IV. 


WO  days  later,  and  we  again 
reached  the  valley  of  the  Me- 
silla;  and  here  let  me  give 
the  reader  some  idea  of  this 
really  beautiful  place  and  its 
inhabitants. 

This  valley  is  about  one 
hundred  miles  in  length,  and 
from  twenty  to  thirty  miles  in 
width,  the  whole  surface  be 
ing  easily  irrigated  by  the  waters  of  the  Rio  Grande.  The 
principal  towns  in  the  valley  are  Mesilla,  Santa  Barbara,  Las 
Cruces,  and  Dona  Ana,  which  together  contain  a  population 
of  about  three  thousand  souls.  The  real  boundary  on  the 
eastern  side  is  the  Sierra  de  los  Organos,  or  Organ  Mountains, 
a  range  running  from  north  to  south  about  one  hundred  miles 
in  length.  These  mountains  are  about  three  thousand  feet 
in  height,  and  are  composed  chiefly  of  a  light-gray  granite. 

('56) 


THE    VALLEY  OF  LA  MESILLA.  57 

They  receive  their  name  from  the  peculiar  shape  of  their 
pinnacles  and  sides,  which  resemble  very  closely  the  pipes 
of  an  organ.  In  this  range  are  to  be  found  considera 
ble  quantities  of  live-oak  and  pine  timber.  Here,  also,  is 
(he  celebrated  silver  mine  of  "Hugh  Stevenson,"  discovered 
by  that  gentleman  in  1851,  and  which,  since  that  year,  when 
the  Apaches  would  permit  its  being  worked,  has  yielded 
large  quantities  of  silver.  The  soil  of  the  Mesilla  Valley  is 
very  fertile,  and  susceptible  of  a  high  state  of  cultivation. 
On  each  side  of  the  Rio  Grande  are  to  be  found  large 
acequias,  or  ditches,  through  which  the  waters  of  the  river 
are  conducted  in  such  a  manner  that  from  them  the  entire 
surface  of  the  valley  can  be  irrigated  or  overflowed,  and 
thus  cultivated.  Large  crops  of  corn,  wheat,  rye,  and 
barley  are  raised,  while  figs,  peaches,  pears,  apricots,  and 
grapes  are  produced  in  great  abundance.  The  grapes  are 
particularly  fine,  and  are  called  the  "El  Paso"  grape,  from 
which  place  the  vines  were  brought.  They  were  introduced 
into  El  Paso  in  1680  by  the  Jesuits,  and  came  originally 
from  Portugal.  About  one  hundred  thousand  gallons  of 
wine  are  made  annually  in  this  valley,  almost  equal  in 
quality  to  fine  port  or  Burgundy;  it  will  not  bear  trans 
portation,  however. 

Notwithstanding  the  fertility  of  the  soil  in  this  charming 
valley,  the  mildness  of  the  climate,  and  the  peculiar  adapta 
tion  of  the  land  to  agricultural  purposes,  only  enough  is 

8 


58        PRIMITIVE   CUSTOMS    OF   THE   PEOPLE. 

raised  to  supply  the  immediate  wants  of  the  people,  as  its 
great  distance  from  any  market  precludes  the  possibility  of 
exportation. 

Could  a  person  familiar  with  Bible  history  be  suddenly 
transported  and  set  down  in  the  Mesilla  Valley,  he  would  cer 
tainly  imagine  himself  among  the  Children  of  Israel,  so  prim 
itive  are  the  habits  and  customs  of  the  people.  They  use  as  a 
plough  a  sharpened  stick  of  wood  fastened  to  a  beam,  which 
beam  is  tied  to  the  horns  of  the  cattle  by  thongs  of  rawhide, 
serving  the  purpose  of  a  yoke.  No  iron  ever  enters  into 
the  construction  of  their  carts;  they  are  made  entirely  of 
wood  and  rawhide,  the  wheels  being  sections  of  the  stump 
of  a  tree.  It  has  often  occurred  to  me,  when  I  have  heard 
one  of  these  lumbering  old  carts  creaking  along  the  road, 
that  the  genius  who  invented  the  steam-whistle  must  have 
obtained  his  first  idea  from  the  noise  made  by  their  wheels. 

The  houses  are  built  of  sun-dried  brick  —  adobes  —  or 
else  after  the  style  described  by  Father  Kino,  when  they  are 
called  jacals.  All  the  grain  is  threshed  in  the  field,  by 
driving  oxen  over  it;  "nor  do  they  muzzle  the  ox  that 
treadeth  out  the  corn." 

It  is  rarely  that  a  chair  or  table  is  seen  in  a  Mexican  house. 
The  people  eat,  sitting  upon  the  floor,  and  fingers  take  the 
place  of  knives  and  forks.  Their  food  generally  consists  of 
tortillas  —  unleavened  bread,  chilli  —  red  pepper,  frejolies  -  - 
or  beans,  and  garlic. 


THEIR   DIET.  59 

Tortillas  are  made  of  corn,  which  is  first  soaked  in  a  weak 
lye,  and  then  boiled  until  it  is  perfectly  soft,  when  it  is 
crushed  at  a  metatte,  consisting  of  two  flat  stones,  and  after 
wards  moulded  by  the  hands  into  a  kind  of  pancake,  and 
baked  on  a  heated  iron  or  stone.  It  is  a  very  palatable  article 
of  food,  and  is  undoubtedly  a  specimen  of  the  unleavened 
bread  mentioned  in  Scripture. 

Chilli  and  frejolies  are  as  necessary  to  a  Mexican  as  is 
bread  tc  an  American;  in  fact,  they  are  not  unfrequently  his 
diet  for  months.  Meat  is  rarely  eaten  by  them,  and  never 
unless  cooked  in  chilli  Colorado,  or  garlic. 

Give  a  Mexican  a  peck  of  beans  and  a  string  of  red  pep 
pers,  and  he  is  thoroughly  contented;  nor  will  he  work 
while  a  particle  of  either  remains. 

Having  heard  much  of  the  ruins  of  an  ancient  city  lying 
about  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles  northeast  of  Mesilla, 
said  to  be  one  of  the  celebrated  ''Seven  cities  of  Cibola," 
I  arranged  to  visit  them. 

Organizing  a  party  of  five,  with  eight  Mexican  servants, 
we  started  with  two  ambulances  and  six  pack  mules.  Our 
tirst  day's  journey  brought  us  to  the  foot  of  the  Organ 
Mountains,  where  we  camped  for  the  night  in  a  beautiful 
grove  of  live-oak. 

The  next  morning  we  took  an  early  start,  and  reached  the 
summit  of  the  pass  about  noon. 


60 


FEAR    OF  THE  APACHES. 


Here  we  paused  for  a  while  to  gaze  with  wonder  and 
admiration  upon  the  vast  plain  spread  out  before  us. 

Far  in  the  distance  rose  in  majesty  the  lofty  peaks  of  the 
Sacramento  Mountains,  near  which  we  expected  to  find  the 
ruins  of  Le  Gran  Quivera.  These  mountains  were  also  the 


I.OS    OEGANOS    MOUNTAINS. 


home  of  the  Coytero  and  Mescallaro  Apaches,  two  of  the 
worst  bands  in  the  whole  nation.  It  was  Avith  these  Indians 
that  Lieutenant  Lazelle,  of  the  United  States  Army,  had  a 
desperate  fight  at  Dog  Canon  the  year  before,  and  the 
question  naturally  arose,  should  we  be  permitted  to  quietly 


SALT  LAKES.  61 

pursue   our   explorations,  or   should  we  have   trouble  with 
them  ? 

Upon  questioning  our  guide  as  to  the  probabilities  of  an 
encounter,  he  shrugged  his  shoulders,  and  ominously  shak 
ing  his  head,  gave  us  the  usual  philosophical  reply  of  the 
Mexican,  "  Quien  Sabe?  "  or  "Who  knows?  " 

Half-way  across  this  vast  sandy  plain  two  or  three  blue 
sprcks  were  visible,  which,  our  guide  informed  us,  were  salt 
lakes;  also,  that  it  was  from  the  shores  of  these  lakes  that  the 
Spaniards  formerly  procured  their  salt,  and  even  the  present 
inhabitants  of  the  Territory  used  it  to  a  large  extent.  He 
said,  that  in  close  proximity  to  these  lakes  was  a  very  pecul 
iar  sandstone  formation,  well  worth  seeing;  and,  as  all  were 
but  a  few  miles  distant  from  our  direct  route,  we  determined 
to  visit  them.  Bringing  our  glasses  to  bear  upon  that  portion 
of  the  plain  pointed  out  by  the  guide,  we  saw  what  seemed  to 
us  to  be  a  large  city,  with  its  spires  and  domes  and  towers 
glittering  in  the  bright  sunlight,  and  rivalling  in  splendor 
even  the  creations  of  the  genii  conjured  by  "  Aladdin's 
wonderful  lamp." 

But  we  must  not  linger  longer  admiring  the  wonderful 
panorama  spread   out   before  us,  or  we   shall  fail  to  reach 
the    wood   and  water  level    before    night-fall.      We   there 
fore   descend  the  mountain,    and   are    once  more^  upon  the 
plain. 

Upon  reaching  a  beautiful  little  stream  that  comes  trick- 


62  A   CITY  NOT  MADE    WITH  HANDS. 

ling  down  the  sides  of  a  rocky  canon,  we  encamp  for  the 
night. 

Sunrise  finds  us  again  on  our  journey,  and  after  a  hard 
day's  jaunt  over  the  same  unchangeable  plain,  night  brought 
us  to  the  first  of  the  lakes  whose  blue  waters  had  so  en 
chanted  us  the  day  previous. 

Its  shores  were  white  with  pure,  crystallized  salt, 
and  we  were  told  by  our  guide  that  carettas  full  were 
carried  away  every  year,  in  its  natural  state. 

The  next  morning  the  guide  called  us  to  behold  the  wonder 
ful  effect  of  the  rising  sun  upon  the  city  of  enchantment  that 
we  had  seen  from  the  mountain  the  day  before.  As  we  ap 
proached  this  marvellous  architecture  of  the  elements,  we 
could  not  repress  exclamations  of  wonder  and  delight. 
Streets  were  plainly  visible;  massive  temples  with  their 
spires  and  domes;  monuments  of  every  conceivable  shape; 
castles  of  huge  proportions;  towers  and  minarets,  all  formed 
of  pure  white  silica,  which  glittered  in  the  bright  sunlight 
like  walls  of  crystal.  It  was  hard  to  persuade  ourselves 
that  art  had  had  no  part  in  forming  these  graceful  testimo 
nials  to  the  wonders  of  nature. 

"Surely,"    said    Dr.    Parker,    "this    must    be    a   city." 

"Yes,"  replied  I,  "a  city,  but  not  made  with  hands." 

Around- the  whole  was  a  massive  wall  ten  feet  :u  height, 

with   arched  gateways   and   entrances   as   perfect   as   it  is 

possible  for  the  imagination  of  man  to  conceive.     Entering 


FRUITLESS  ANTELOPE  HUN1 .  ^63 

the  confines  of  this  magical  spot,  we  were  soon  undeceived, 
for  what  in  the  distance  our  imagination  had  conceived  to  be 
enchanted  ground,  was,  in  reality,  a  mass  of  white  sand 
stone,  worn  by  the  winds  and  waters  into  a  wonderful 
similitude  of  a  magnificent  city. 

Regretfully  turning  our  backs  upon  this  marvel  of  nature, 
we  resumed  our  journey,  camping  at  night  on  the  banks  of  a 
little  mountain  stream  called  the  Tularosa,  said  to  abound 
in  trout,  and  whose  waters  sunk  quietly  into  the  plain 
about  two  miles  from  where  it  left  the  rugged  «ide  of  tho 
mountains. 

As  we  approached  the  camping-ground,  I  noticed  on  a 
little  eminence  to  the  left  a  herd  of  antelope  feeding.  Un 
strapping  the  blanket  from  my  saddle,  I  handed  it,  with  my 
rifle,  to  an  attendant;  and  informing  the  party  that  we 
should  have  antelope  steak  for  supper,  I  started  after  the 
herd,  thinking  I  could  easily  kill  one  with  my  revolver.  As 
I  approached,  they  trotted  leisurely  off,  I  following  them, 
and  paying  no  attention  to  the  course  they  took,  so  intent 
was  I  on  securing  some  fresh  meat  for  supper.  The  chase 
became  an  exciting  one,  and  before  I  was  aware  of  it  the 
sun  had  sunk  to  his  rest,  and  night  was  rapidly  ap 
proaching. 

Reluctantly  I  gave  up  the  chase  and  turned  towards  camp, 
when,  to  my  surprise  and  mortification,  I  became  convinced 
that  I  had  no  means  of  ascertaining  its  direction,  —  in  short,  I 


64  ;  SUDDEN  ALARM.          * 

was  lost;  and  as  darkness  was  already  shadowing  the  earth, 
there  was  no  alternative  but  to  encamp  for  the  night  alone 
on  the  prairie. 

To  unsaddle  my  mule,  picket  him,  and  then  examine 
the  condition  of  my  revolver,  was  but  the  work  of  a 
few  minutes.  Then,  with  my  saddle  for  a  pillow,  I  laid 
myself  down  upon  the  grass,  with  no  covering  save  the 
starry  heavens;  and,  being  quite  fatigued  with  the  day's 
journey,  soon  dropped  into  a  profound  slumber. 

I  must  have  been  sleeping  some  hours,  when  I  was  sud 
denly  awakened  by  the  snorting  of  my  mule.  Apprehensive 
that  all  was  not  right,  I  immediately  arose,  and  taking  my 
pistol,  approached  the  spot  where  he  was  fastened. 

I  found  him  with  eyes  fixed,  nostrils  distended,  forefeet 
firmly  braced,  and  endeavoring,  by  every  means  in  his 
power,  to  break  his  lariat,  which,  fortunately,  was  made  of 
hair,  and  successfully  resisted  his  efforts. 

The  first  glance  convinced  me  that  Indians  were  near,  for 
a  mule  will  detect  an  Indian  a  long  distance  off  by  the  smell . 
After  much  coaxing,  I  finally  succeeded  in  quieting  him  a 
little,  though  he  still  showed  unmistakable  signs  of  extreme 
terror,  trembling  in  every  limb  like  an  aspen  leaf.  I  then 
lay  down,  and  supporting  myself  upon  my  elbows,  to  enable 
me  to  bring  my  eyes  on  a  level  with  the  top  of  the  grass, 
endeavored  to  ascertain  what  it  was  that  had  so  frightened 
the  animal. 


AN  ANIMATED   BUSH.  65 

I  lay  perfectly  still  for  some  time,  straining  my  eyes  in 
(he  direction  I  had  found  my  mule  looking,  buc  could  dis 
cern  no  cause  for  alarm.  Still,  from  the  continued  agita 
tion  of  the  animal,  I  was  convinced  that  there  was  reason 
for  apprehension.  Not  a  sound  could  be  heard  save  the 
beating  of  my  own  heart,  and  the  long,  unsteady  breathing 
of  the  mule. 

I  remember  that  the  short,  quick  yelp  of  a  prairie  wolf 
seemed  to  me  to  be  the  most  grateful  sound  to  which  I 
had  ever  listened,  so  intense  was  the  stillness.  Not  a 
breath  of  air  stirred  the  light  tops  of  the  grass. 

At  last  I  saw,  or  fancied  I  saw,  some  distance  from  me,  a 
small  bush  that  I  had  not  noticed  before.  I  tried  to  remem 
ber  having  seen  the  bush  when  I  lay  down  for  the  night, 
but  all  to  no  purpose.  As  I  gazed,  fascinated,  as  it  were, 
by  the  appearance  of  the  bush,  it  suddenly  occurred  to  me 
that  I  could  see  it  more  distinctly  than  at  first,  and  con 
gratulating  myself  on  the  approaching  daylight,  was  begin 
ning  to  take  courage,  when  I  thought  I  sfr  the  bush  move. 

As  no  air  was  stirring,  this  could  hardly  be;  and  yet, 
as  I  watched  it,  slowly  and  surely  it  came  towards  the  spot 
where  I  lay. 

Suddenly  the  thought  flashed  upon  me  that  immediately 

after  leaving  the  Organos  Mountains  we  had  noticed  Indian 

smoke-signals,  and  also  in  the  Sacramento  Mountains  as  we 

approached  them  the  previous  day.     In  an  instant  I  clearly 

9 


66 


A  MOMENT  OF  SUSPENSE. 


comprehended  my  situation, —  I  was  surrounded  by  Apaches, 
who  had  seen  me  separate  from  my  companions,  and  had 
followed  me,  determined  to  have  my  scalp.  What  should 
I  do? 

If  I  fired  my  revolver,  I  should  at  once  disclose  my  posi 
tion  to  my  foes;  if  I  lay  still,  I  should  certainly  be  shot  or 


FORTUNATE    SHOT. 


tomahawked.  I  already  fancied  I  could  feel  the  sharp  fliul 
points  of  the  Apache  arrows  in  my  body,  and  thought  if  I 
should  be  killed  in  the  position  in  which  I  was  now  lying, 
tuy  friends,  should  they  ever  find  my  body,  would  have 


A  SHOT  IN  THE  DARK.  67 

reason  to  presume  that  I  was  trying  my  best  to  escape  when 
overtaken. 

I  rapidly  revolved  the  chances  in  my  mind,  all  the  time 
conscious  that  the  bush  was  coming  nearer  and  nearer,  and 
finally  determined  that  I  would  have  one  shot,  let  the  con 
sequences  be  what  they  might.  I  waited  as  long  as  I  dared, 
and  then,  placing  the  barrel  of  my  pistol  between  the  fore 
arid  middle  lingers  of  my  left  hand,  to  enable  me  to  sight 
properly,  I  aimed  at  the  foot  of  the  bush  and  fired. 

A  yell,  and  I  saw  the  bush  no  longer. 

Already,  to  niy  excited  imagination,  a  dozen  tomahawks 
were  whizzing  through  the  air.  The  hum  of  a  bug  carelessly 
flying  over  me  was  the  zip  of  an  arrow.  The  suspense  of 
the  remaining  hours  until  daylight  was  terrible.  One  thing 
alone  tended  to  assure  me, —  my  mule  was  quietly  feeding 
this  seemed  to  indicate  that  there  was  no  longer  am 
immediate  danger.  Still  the  thought  that  Apaches  were 
rarely  alone  in  their  raids,  kept  me  in  a  state  of  agonizing 
suspense. 

And  so  the  tedious  hours  wore  on,  till  at  last  the  first 
gray  streak  of  daylight  was  just  discernible  in  the  east.  I 
immediately  saddled  my  mule,  and  taking  him  by  the  bit 
with  one  hand,  and  carrying  my  revolver  cocked  in  the 
other,  I  slowly  started  for  the  bush,  which  was  about  fifty 
feet  from  the  spot  where  I  had  lain. 

I  found  a  long,  snake-like  trail,  showing  that   whoevei 


68  THE  MYSTERY  SOLVED. 

carried  the  bush  had  approached  me  on  his  belly,  using  his 
elbows  with  which  to  propel  himself. 

Following  the  trail  about  eighty  yards,  I  saw  in  the  bottom 
of  a  small  aroya  an  Indian,  to  all  appearance  asleep.  He 
lay  on  his  side.  One  half  of  his  face  was  painted  a  bright 
vermilion,  the  other  half  daubed  with  mud,  showing  him  to 
be  in  disgrace  for  some  offence  with  his  tribe,  the  penalty 
for  which  he  proposed  to  settle  with  my  scalp  and  my  mule. 

I  descended  into  the  aroya,  and  taking  his  bow  and 
arrows,  with  his  scalp,  made  for  the  highest  ground  in  the 
vicinity,  where,  after  a  few  minutes'  anxious  watching,  I 
was  rewarded  by  seeing  a  "white  man's  smoke"  far  away 
to  my  left,  for  which  I  struck  a  "bee  line." 

An  hour's  smart  riding  brought  me  within  sight  of  the 
camp,  from  which  a  party  were  just  starting  out  for  the  pur 
pose  of  helping  me  bring  in  the  antelope  steak  I  had  so 
generously  offered  to  provide  the  evening  before.  A  hearty 
breakfast  of  bacon  and  corn  bread,  with  a  dish  of  coffee, 
in  some  measure  atoned  for  the  loss  of  the  fresh  meat;  but 
I  then  and  there  declared  I  never  would  go  marketing  again 
in  that  country  alone.  I  haven't  killed  an  antelope  since  1 


CHAPTER  V. 


T  was  noon  the  next  day  be 
fore  our  little  party  was  ready 
to  start  on  the  tiail  through 
the  Sacramento  Mountains. 
We  decided  to  take  the  road 
to  Fort  Stanton,  then  located 
in  that  range,  as  being  the 
best  point  from  which  to 
start  for  the  ruins,  of  which 
we  had  heard  so  much,  and 
that  so  few  Americans  had  ever  visited.  A  short  journey 
up  the  beautiful  valley  of  the  Tularosa,  and  Dr.  Parker  met 
us  with  as  fine  a  string  of  speckled  trout  as  I  ever  saw 
caught,  even  in  the  streams  of  New  England,  or  the  wilds 
of  Lake  Superior.  A  few  miles  farther  on,  and  our  guide 
(pointing  to  an  opening  high  up  on  the  side  of  the  moun 
tain,  which  was  sparsely  covered  with  balsam  and  fir  trees, 

over  which  a  fire  had  passed  some  two  or  three  years  before 

(69) 


70  EXCITING  BEAR  HUNT. 

killing  the  growth  of  the  trees,  but  leaving  them  standing) 
remarked,  "Yonder  is  the  hole  of  a  Cinnamon  bear." 

The  information  was  electrical  in  its  effect,  all  expressing 
themselves,  as  with  one  accord,  eager  to  share  the  adven 
ture  of  a  bear-hunt  —  myself  excepted  —  I  having  had  quite 
enough  of  that  kind  of  sport,  for  the  present  at  least. 
Still  I  resolved  to  stay  by  and  watch  the  fun,  for  fun  I 
was  sure  there  would  be  before  Bruin  yielded  himself 
captive.  Selecting  a  position  some  distance  from  the  scene 
of  action,  where  I  could  observe  the  movements  of  the 
party,  I  watched  them,  rifles  in  hand,  slowly  and  labo 
riously  ascending  the  steep  side  of  the  mountain,  here  catch 
ing  hold  of  the  charred  limb  of  a  balsam,  which  snapped  like  a 
pipe-stem  at  the  touch;  now  balancing  themselves  on  a 
stone,  which  failed  to  give  a  firm  footing,  as  with  difficulty 
they  worked  themselves  up  to  the  mouth  of  the  cave, 
where  his  cinnamon-colored  majesty  was  supposed  to 
hibernate. 

The  guide,  who  acted  as  leader,  took  a  position  directly 
over  the  mouth  of  the  cave,  pointing  out  to  the  others  the 
places  they  were  to  occupy,  with  directions  that  as  soon  as 
the  bear  should  emerge  from  his  den,  each  one  should  fire, 
aiming  directly  behind  the  shoulder-blade. 

When  all  had  announced  themselves  ready,  the  guide 
picked  up  a  handful  of  large  pebbles  and  commenced  drop 
ping  them  immediately  in  front  of  the  mouth  of  the  cave. 


IMPROMPTU  GYMNASTICS.  71 

In  a  few  moments  his  bearship,  evidently  annoyed  at  this 
unwarrantable  intrusion,  slowly  poked  his  head  out  of  the 
cave,  and  proceeded  to  take  a  calm  survey, 

"  Of  such  as,  wandering  near  his  secret  bower, 
Molest  his  ancient,  solitary  reign." 

Just  at  this  juncture  Kogers,  who  had  been  stationed  the 
farthest  off,  fired.  The  bullet  evidently  struck  the  bear  in 
his  nose;  for,  putting  his  huge  paw  beside  it  for  an  instant, 
and  uttering  a  terrific  growl,  he  sprang  forward  in  the 
direction  of  Dr.  Parker. 

The  doctor,  seeing  the  bear  approach,  threw  down  his 
rifle,  and  hastily  betook  himself  to  a  dead  fir  close  by,  about 
as  big  at  its  base  as  his  wrist.  This  he  labored  as  hard  to 
climb  as  I  ever  saw  a  man  work  in  my  life.  The  branches 
snapped  at  every  touch;  but  the  doctor  was  so  intent  on 
reaching  a  place  of  safety,  that,  as  he  afterwards  remarked, 
he  certainly  thought  he  was  making  fine  progress  in  ascend 
ing  one  of  the  giants  of  the  forest. 

Before  the  bear  had  made  many  steps  towards  the  scene 
of  the  doctor's  desperate  exertions,  two  well-directed  shots 
touched  him  in  a  vital  spot,  and,  slowly  rolling  over,  he 
fell  on  his  side  —  dead.  It  was  now  the  time  to  laugh;  and 
as  I  had  been  an  interested  spectator  in  the  affray,  I 
rehearsed  the  scene  as  taken  by  a  "special  artist  on  the 
spot,"  amid  peals  of  laughter  from  the  rest  of  the  party, 


72  FORT  STAN  TON. 

• 

who  had  been  too  busily  engaged  at  the  time  to  notice  the 
ludicrous  appearance  of  the  doctor,  and  his  amusing  attempts 
to  reach  an  ark  of  safety. 

The  bear  furnished  us  a  fine  lot  of  fresh  meat,  and  many 
were  the  sly  remarks  I  was  obliged  to  hear  on  my  success 
as  a  "marketist."  That  night  we  had  a  delicious  meal  of 
bear  meat,  which  we  cooked  on  the  end  of  a  stick  over  the 
coals.  Thus  ended  my  first  bear-hunt  in  Arizona. 

Starting  with  the  sun  the  next  morning,  we  travelled  all 
day  through  rocky  canons  and  narrow  passes,  toiling  wearily 
along,  till,  just  as  the  sun  was  setting,  we  reached  Fort 
Stanton,  where  we  received  a  cordial  welcome  from  Major 
Ruff,  of  the  Dragoons,  who  was  at  that  time  in  command. 
We  spent  a  couple-  of  days  very  pleasantly  at  the  Fort,  and 
the  major  kindly  volunteered  to  send  for  a  friendly  Indian, 
living  near,  to  act  as  guide  to  the  ruins,  situated  some 
fifty  miles  north  of  the  Fort,  an  offer  of  which  we  gladly 
availed  ourselves. 

It  was  on  the  18th  of  July,  1859,  that  we  started  to  visit 
the  ruins  of  Le  Gran  Quivera.  A  two  days'  journey,  with 
no  incident  worthy  of  note,  brought  us  to  a  place  on  the 
plain  about  ten  miles  distant  from  the  mountain.  Here  we 
discovered  the  remains  of  a  large  acequia  fully  twelve  feet 
in  depth,  with  the  usual  supply  of  smaller  ones  running  in 
all  directions,  showing  that  a  large  quantity  of  land  had  at 
some  time  been  under  cultivation.  Near  h^re  \ve  encamped 


WONDERFUL  AQUEDUCT.  73 

for  the  night.  Noon  the  next  day  found  us  among  the 
ruins  of  what  had  once  been  a  city  of  not  less  than  sixty 
thousand  inhabitants. 

The  ruins  extended  for  miles  in  a  northerly  and  southerly 
direction,  and  consisted  of  old  adobe  houses,  some  of  the 
walls  standing  from  four  to  six  feet  high,  others  showing  a 
line  only  a  few  inches  above  the  earth.  We  also  found  the 
ruins  of  massive  churches.  Over  the  main  entrance  of  two 
of  these  were  sculptured  the  coat-of-arms  of  old  Spain, 
while  the  walls,  still  standing,  measured  sixty  feet  in 
height.  We  found  the  ruins  of  what  seemed  to  have  been 
a  large  cathedral  or  temple,  corresponding  in  some  degree 
to  the  ruins  of  the  Casas  Grandes,  found  upon  the  Gila  in 
1694,  as  described  by  Father  Kino.  Also  the  ruins  of  a 
stone  aqueduct,  of  sufficient  size  to  enable  a  person  to 
easily  pass  through  it.  The  stones  appeared  to  be  laid  in 
a  kind  of  cement,  which  had  preserved  its  adhesive  quali 
ties  wonderfully. 

This  aqueduct  was  undoubtedly  used  for  bringing  water 
from  the  mountains,  for  we  traced  it  nearly  fourteen  miles 
towards  a  spot  in  the  mountains  that  gave  evidence  of  hav 
ing  once  been  a  large  spring.  Near  this  place  we  found 
several  old  shafts  or  openings  in  the  side  of  the  mountains, 
plainly  showing  that  at  some  early  day  they  had  been 
extensively  worked  as  mines. 

Of  the  town  we  have  no  authentic  history,  save  that  it 
10 


74  AN  INDIAN  TRADITION. 

was  one  of  the  "Seven  cities  of  Cibola,"  into  which,  with 
out  doubt,  the  Spaniards  intruded  themselves,  gradually 
obtaining  control  of  it  through  the  influence  which  the 
Church  exercised  over  the  people.  There  is  a  tradition 
among  the  Indians  to  the  effect  that  this  was  once  a  very 
large  and  wealthy  Aztec  city,  with  exceedingly  rich  mines, 
the  product  of  which  was  carried  twice  a  year  to  Montezuma, 
until  the  entrance  into  the  city  by  the  Spaniards,  when  it 
was  shipped  direct  to  old  Spain. 

At  one  season  —  supposed  to  be  about  1680  —  when  the 
people  were  making  extraordinary  exertions  for  transporting 
the  precious  metals,  the  Apaches  attacked  them,  whereupon 
the  miners  buried  their  treasure,  worth  fifty  millions,  and 
left  the  city  together.  They  were  all  massacred,  except  two 
who  succeeded  in  escaping  to  Mexico,  where  they  gave  the 
particulars  of  the  affair,  and  solicited  aid  to  return  and 
recover  the  treasure.  But  the  distance  was  so  great,  and  the 
Indians  so  numerous,  no  one  was  found  willing  to  run  the 
risk  of  so  perilous  an  undertaking.  One  of  the  two  after 
wards  went  to  New  Orleans,  then  under  the  dominion  of 
old  Spain,  where  he  raised  five  hundred  men,  and  started 
by  way  of  the  Sabine.  This  expedition  was  never  after 
wards  heard  from. 

All  attempts  to  visit  these  ruins  in  search  of  treasure 
are  thwarted  by  the  Apaches,  who  punish  with  death  any 
intruders.  Dr.  Wislizenus,  in  his  "Tour  through  Northern 


"THE  SORROWS  OF"— PARKER.  75 

Mexico,"  speaks  of  the  ruins  of  the  aqueduct,  the  churches, 
the  sculptured  coat-of-arms,  the  pits  showing  the  location 
of  the  silver  mines,  and  also  relates  the  tradition  of  the 
Indians. 

When  the  city  was  built,  and  by  whom,  are  questions 
that  every  beholder  must  ask  as  he  stands  among  these 
crumbling  monuments  of  an  extinct  race.  We  spent  two 
days  among  these  ruins.  We  didn't  expect  to  find  the 
treasure,  and  we  were  not  disappointed. 

Notwithstanding  our  guide  informed  us  that  nearly  all  the 
warriors  of  the  two  bands  which  inhabit  these  mountains 
had  gone  to  the  Navajoe  country  on  a  stealing  expedition, 
we  were  uncomfortably  reminded  by  frequent  Indian  smokes 
round  about  us,  that  there  was  some  life  yet  left  in  the 
vicinity;  and  on  the  morning  of  our  departure  it  was  dis 
covered  that  two  of  our  pack  mules  and  Dr.  Parker's 
horse  had  been  stolen  during  the  night.  This  evidence  of 
the  near  proximity  with  an  enemy  we  had  much  reason  to 
dread,  caused  us  to  make  a  hurried  and  early  start,  regard 
less  of  Dr.  Parker's  urgent  entreaties  that  we  should  make 
an  effort  to  recover  his  horse,  which,  he  assured  us,  with 
tears  in  his  eyes,  he  still  owed  for! 

Even  this  sad  announcement  failed  to  change  our  deter 
mination  to  go,  and  go  at  once;  and  go  we  did,  in  tho 
direction  of  the  Rio  Grande,  leaving,  as  we  fondly  hoped, 
not  the  ruins  only,  but  the  Indians  also,  behind  us. 


76  A  PETRIFIED   FOREST. 

Striking  a  course  nearly  due  west,  we  started  on  a  trail 
which  our  guide  thought  would  bring  us  to  the  Rio  Grande, 
somewhere  near  the  mouth  of  the  Rio  Puerco.  After  half 
a  day's  travel,  our  course  seemed  to  lie  more  to  the  north; 
and  just  at  night  we  came  to  the  banks  of  a  little  creek, 
called  by  Major  Emery,  in  his  report,  the  Little  Bonita. 

Here  we  came  upon  the  remains  of  a  petrified  forest, 
prostrate,  and  partially  buried  in  a  kind  of  red  marl. 
Hundreds  of  trees  lay  here,  and  had  been  converted  by 
some  chemical  process  into  specimens  of  variegated  jasper. 
One  tree  that  we  saw  measured  ten  feet  in  diameter,  and 
was  over  a  hundred  feet  in  length.  Some  looked  as  if  they 
had  been  charred  by  fire;  their  trunks  were  of  a  dark 
brown  color,  while  the  smaller  branches  and  twigs  were  of 
a  reddish  hue'.  To  me  there  was  something  impressively 
wonderful  in  this  stupendous  result  of  old  Nature's  labors 
in  her  secret  laboratory.  Who  should  divine  the  cause? 
Who  tell  the  history  of  the  prostrate  forest?  How  long 
has  it  there  existed,  and  how  many  more  centuries  will  it 
lie  there  undisturbed? 

We  brought  away  some  beautiful  specimens,  although, 
owing  to  the  depredations  of  our  Apache  friends,  we  were 
somewhat  short  of  means  of  transportation.  We  found  the 
waters  of  the  creek  delightfully  cool  and  pleasant  to  the 
taste;  and  notwithstanding  the  suggestion  of  one  of  the 
party,  that  it  might  have  the  same  effect  upon  us  that  it  had 


ORIGINAL  EPITAPH.  77 

evidently  had  upon  the  giants  of  the  forest  lying  around  us, 
we  all  drank  of  it  freely,  and  enjoyed  its  refreshing  coolness. 
Dr.  Parker  feelingly  alluded  to  the  loss  of  his  horse,  and  the 
miseries  of  a  pedestrian  life  through  such  a  rough  country, 
and  urged  us,  in  case  we  should  observe  any  appearance  of 
petrifaction  about  him,  not  to  leave  him  by  the  road-side, 
for  the  purpose  of  petrifying  the  traveller  who  came  after 
us,  but  to  give  him  Christian  burial;  and  that  for  a  head 
stone  we  should  use  a  piece  of  the  rock  on  which  he  split, 
with  this  inscription  thereon:  "Horseless  and  homeless  a 
wanderer  passed." 

Promising  to  comply  with  his  desires,  a  gleam  of  genuine 
satisfaction  illumined  his  countenance,  and  we  resumed  our 
journey.  The  next  day  we  arrived  in  sight  of  the  cotton- 
wood  trees  which  line  the  banks  of  the  Rio  Grande;  and 
a  pleasant  sight  it  was  too,  after  a  hard  day's  toil  over  the 
rough,  pebbly  soil  of  the  plains,  without  water  or  the  grate 
ful  shade  of  even  a  single  tree  to  shield  us  from  the  rays 
of  the  burning  sun.  We  were  glad  enough  to  encamp  for 
the  night  at  a  little  spot  where  there  was  a  prospect  of  our 
poor  animals  obtaining  a  supply  of  grass. 

Before  the  sun  rose  the  next  morning  we  were  on  our  way 
to  the  Rio  Grande.  We  reached  it  about  noon,  striking 
the  river  at  a  point  near  the  ruins  of  Valverde.  Here  we 
found  encamped  a  family  of  Missourians,  named  Pennington, 
who  were  on  their  way  to  the  Calabasas  country.  The  old 


78  A  BRAVE  MISSOURI  AN. 

man  had  with  him  seven  daughters,  ranging  all  the  way 
from  thirteen  to  thirty  years  of  age,  and  was  going  out  to 
make  a  home  on  the  Calabasas,  where  he  had  a  son  living. 
He  was  a  fine,  athletic-looking  person,  and  was  thoroughly 
imbued  with  the  idea  that  he  had  just  as  much  right  to  live 
in  this  country  as  the  cowardly  Apaches. 

4 'And,"  said  the  old  man,  as  he  straightened  himself  up, 
and  significantly  tapped  his  rifle,  ''I'm  d — d  if  I  don't  do 
it!" 

Some  months  later,  when  in  Tucson,  a  woman  named 
Paige  was  brought  into  the  town,  who  had  been  found  in 
the  mountains  by  a  party  of  soldiers  under  Captain  Ewell, 
since  a  major-general  in  the  Rebel  service.  I  went  to  see 
her  at  the  fonda,  where  she  was  carried,  and  such  a  pitiable 
sight  I  hope  never  to  see  again.  Naturally  a  good-sized 
woman,  she  was  now  wasted  to  a  mere  skeleton.  Such  a 
picture  of  starvation  can  never  be  portrayed  by  language. 
The  glaring,  hungry  eyes,  the  sunken  temples,  the  lips 
drawn  so  tightly  over  the  jaw  that  each  tooth  could  be  easily 
counted  through  them,  the  arms  scarcely  larger  than  a  man's 
thumb,  and  the  continuous  cry  for  food,  was  a  spectacle  to 
fill  one  with  horror.  I  saw  her  a  few  hours  later,  and  to 
my  surprise  she  recognized  me,  and  spoke  of  our  meeting 
on  the  Rio  Grande,  near  Valverde.  I  then  learned  that 
she  was  one  of  old  Pennington's  daughters,  and  had 
married  a  man  named  Paige,  living  near  Tubac. 


ATROCITIES    OF   THE  APACHES.  79 

It  seems  that  Mrs.  Paige  was  at  her  lather's  home,  when 
ji  party  of  Indians  made  their  appearance,  and  seizing  Mrs. 
Paige  and  two  sisters,  made  off  with  them  to  the  mountains. 
On  their  way  thither  they  encountered  Paige  and  three  other 
Americans,  who  instantly  gave  fight,  but  were  finally  over 
come  and  massacred  by  the  Indians.  Mrs.  Paige  ,*vho  was 
sick  at  the  time  of  her  capture,  was  unable  to  keep  up  with 
the  party,  so  they  knocked  her  in  the  head  with  a  club,  and 
supposing  her  dead,  threw  her  body  over  a  precipice. 
When  she  recovered  her  consciousness,  she  found  herself 
lodged  in  a  tree  which  grew  out  from  the  side  of  the 
precipice.  Disentangling  herself  from  this  position,  she 
managed  to  get  down  the  declivity  and  away  from  a  trail 
which  she  there  found.  Here  she  remained  for  sixteen  days, 
living  on  such  roots  and  berries  as  she  could  find,  and  this, 
too,  within  sight  of  her  father's  house. 

"It  was  terrible,"  she  said,  "to  be  dying  of  hunger  and 
thirst,  and  too  weak  to  summon  aid  or  to  get  to  it." 

She  still  lives  in  Arizona,  or  did,  two  years  later,  when 
I  saw  her, —  a  stout,  hearty  woman.  Her  sisters  were  never 
heard  from. 

Mrs.  Paige's  experience  is  not  dissimilar  to  that  of  many 
others  in  Arizona;  and  from  it  we  can  judge  what  the 
frontiermen  and  their  families  are  often  obliged  to  endure. 

Leaving  old  Pennington  and  the  remnant  of  his  family 
on  the  Calabasas,  let  us  return  to  our  camp  on  the  Rio 


ao  JIM  DAVIS. 

Grande,  where  we  shall  remain  only  long  enough  to  give 
our  overburdened  animals  time  to  recruit  before  we  start 
down  the  river.  The  next  day  being  a  fine  one,  a  portion 
of  our  party  started  on  foot  to  visit  a  celebrated  spring, 
known  as  the  Ojo  del  Mertu,  about  five  miles  distant  from 
our  camjlhig-g round;  and  on  their  return,  more  fortunate 
than  I,  they  succeeded  in  killing  an  antelope,  a  portion  of 
which  they  brought  into  camp. 

The  night  passed  without  incident  worthy  of  note,  and 
the  next  day  found  us  en  route  for  Mesilla.  We  had  hardly 
been  two  hours  on  our  journey  before  we  encountered 
"Jim"  Davis.  Now  "Jim"  Davis  is  a  character,  even  in 
Arizona, —  a  small,  wiry,  hatchet-faced,  red-haired  Yankee 
from  the  State  of  Maine.  "Jim"  came  to  Arizona  in  '52, 
and  has  retained  all  the  shrewdness  and  smartness  that  he 
possessed  before  he  left  the  pine  forests  of  his  native  State. 
Like  most  Maine  men,  he  possessed  the  demon  "swap"  to 
a  great  degree.  It  had  grown  with  his  growth  and  strength 
ened  with  his  strength,  till  finally  it  had  earned  for  him  the 
sobriquet  of  "The  Emigrants'  Friend."  "Jim"  believed 
in  emigration  as  firmly  as  the  old  emigrant  commissioners 
of  Castle  Garden  believed  in  it  when  they  made  their  thirty 
thousand  dollar  per  annum  fees.  He  thought  with  honest 
old  Horace,  that  'twas  every  man's  duty  to  "Go  West," 
and  firmly  believed  in  every  man  doing  his  duty.  He  took 
good  care  that  no  emigrant  train  should  reach  Arizona  until 


HIS    TRADING-   PROPENSITIES. 


81 


he  had  met  it,  and  talked  with  the  "boss";  and  if  the 
"boss"  had  any  foot-sore  or  weary  cattle  lagging  behind, 
54 Jim"  immediately  became  their  owner.  He  has  been 
known  to  start  from  home  with  an  old  blind  horse,  a  jack- 
knifo.  and  a  smooth  quarter,  his  entire  stock  in  trade,  and  in 


"JIM "DA vis,  "THE  EMIGRANTS'  FEIEND." 

two  weeks  return  with  a  drove  of  twenty-five  or  thirty  head 
of  cattle,  and  likely  as  not  the  same  horse  he  rode  away,  all 

11 


82  A   SENSITIVE  ALCALDE. 

honestly  made  by  trade  with  the  emigrants.  "Jim"  would 
ride  unti"  he  met  a  train  with  three  or  four  foot-sore  oxen 
following  it;  these  he  would  trade  his  horse  for;  then  he 
would  stop  in  his  journey  long  enough  to  give  the  cattle  a 
rest,  and  afterwards  trade  them  for  the  next  ones  he  met; 
and  so  on  until  he  procured  a  good  drove. 

But  "Jim,"  seeing  we  had  nothing  to  trade,  pushed  on, 
and  with  considerable  alacrity,  when  we  told  him  of  old 
Pennington's  camp.  TWTO  days  more  brought  us  to  the  town 
of  La  Mesilla,  where  for  the  present,  kind  reader,  I  pro 
pose  to  leave  you,  after  asking  you  to  refresh  yourself  with 
a  delicious  draught  of  El  Paso  wine,  which  we  will  draw 
from  a  huge  leathern  bottle  made  of  an  untanned  ox-skin, 
the  hair  side  being,  of  course,  the  outside,  and  which  the 
worthy  Don  Anastacio  Berella,  the  alcalde  of  the  town, 
assures  us  is  the  only  proper  way  of  preserving  the  flavor 
of  wine  and  preventing  its  tasting  of  the  cask.  It  was  thL' 
same  alcalde  whom,  a  few  days  after  our  arrival,  we  invited 
to  dine  with  us,  and  who  returned  an  answer  to  the  effect 
that  "he  had  plenty  to  eat  at  home";  evidently  considering 
our  invitation  an  insinuation  that  we  supposed  him  to  be 
out  of  chilli  and  tortillas.  In  'reply  to  which  Dr.  Parker 
remarked,  that  "  'twas  ever  thus"  his  motives  had  been 
impugned  by  every  one,  from  the  time  he  had  attempted  to 
climb  a  tree  to  avoid  making  entertainment  for  a  bear,  until 
he  had  voluntarily  offered  to  entertain  one. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


HE  Apache  tribe,  which  for  so 
many  years  has  been  the  terror  of 
northern  Mexico,  and  the  scourge 
of  the  white  man  in  Arizona,  is 
composed  of  eight  bands:  The 
Mescaleros,  the  Mimbres,  the  Mog- 
olones,  the  Chiricahui,  the  Coy- 
teros,  the  Finals,  the  Cerro-Colorados,  and  the  Tontos. 
These  braids  have  now  no  fixed  residence,  but  wander 
at  will  over  the  Territory,  making  raids  into  Sonora 
and  Chihuahua,  killing  men,  women,  and  children,  or  tak 
ing  the  latter  captives;  stealing  horses,  mules,  and  cattle; 
destroying  haciendas,  ranches,  and  villages;  then,  retreating 
into  the  mountain  fastnesses,  not  only  defy  pursuit,  but 
laugh  at  the  futile  efforts  made  to  overtake  them. 

In  character  they  resemble  the  prairie  wolf, —  sneaking, 
cowardly,  and  revengeful.  They  are  always  ready  to  assas 
sinate  women  and  children,  and  then  to  flee  if  possible. 

(83) 


84  A    TERRIBLE  SCOURGE. 

Otherwise  they  fight  bravely  and  desperately.  In  no  por 
tion  of  our  country  have  the  settlers  upon  the  frontier 
suffered  so  severely  as  in,  Arizona.  There  is  scarcely  a 
mile  on  any  road  in  the  Territory  where  the  traveller 
is  not  pointed  out  some  spot  which  the  Apaches  have  con 
secrated  with  the  blood  of  a  victim;  nor  is  there  a  family 
that  has  not  suffered  in  some  manner  from  their  depreda 
tions. 

There  were  formerly  three  principal  war-chiefs  of  the 
tribe,  under  whose  directions  all  hostile  parties  were  mar 
shalled:  Mangus  Colorado,  Cochise,  and  Delgadito.  Of 
tnese  three,  the  only  one  now  living,  who  exercises  any 
control  over  them,  is  Cochise,  of  the  Final  tribe,  which 
a  few  years  ago  was  the  only  recognized  tribe,  but  which 
has  since  been  divided  into  several  bands. 

For  more  than  four  centuries  these  pests  of  the  country 
have  scourged  northern  Mexico  and  Arizona,  and  nothing 
has  been  sacred  from  them.  Xor  can  anything  ever  prosper 
in  a  country  that  they  inhabit.  They  have  desolated  Souora 
and  Arizona,  which  latter  place,  in  1860,  had  a  population 
•  of  thirty-four  thousand,  while  in  1870  it  had  less  than  ten 
thousand. 

At  the  time  of  my  residence  in  the  Territory,  in  '58,  '59, 
and  '60,  the  Apaches  were  generally  regarded  as  being  at 
peace  with  the  white  man;  and  during  these  three  years 
there  were  probably  fewer  outrages  committed  than  during 


A   PARTIAL    TRUCE.  85 

any  one  year  before  or  since.  An  overland  mail  coach 
was  occasionally  attacked  or  an  emigrant  party  massacred, 
and  all  the  animals  that  could  be  stolen  were  driven  off, 
Still,  these  years  were  regarded  as  quiet  ones.  And  thus  I 
was  enabled  to  pursue  my  explorations  in  the  Territory  with 


but  little  annoyance  during  that  time,  especially  as  the  since 
renowned  Cochise  was  persuaded  to  act  as  my  guide  through 
portions  of  the  Apache  country  rarely  pressed  by  the  foot  of 
a  white  man.  I  first  met  Cochise  at  the  "Apache  Pass,"  a 
narrow  gorge  through  the  Chiricahui  Mountains,  and  through 


80  A    WILD    VISITOIt. 

which  pass  ran  the  only  road  connecting  the  settlements  on 
the  Rio  Grande  with  Tucson  and  Fort  Yuma. 

It  was  a  beautiful  day  in  June  that  I  first  saw  him,  naked 
as  he  came  into  the  world,  with  the  exception  of  his  breech- 
clout  and  moccasins.  He  was  a  tall,  dignified-looking 
Indian,  about  forty-seven  years  of  age,  with  face  well 
daubed  with  vermilion  and  ochre.  From  his  nose  hung 
pendent  a  ring  about  five  inches  in  circumference,  made  of 
heavy  brass  wire,  while  three  of  the  same  kind  dangled  from 
each  ear.  His  body  had  been  thoroughly  anointed  with 
some  kind  of  rancid  grease,  which  smelled  very  offensively. 
His  stiff  black  hair  was  pushed  back  and  gathered  in  a  kind 
of  knot  on  the  top  of  his  head,  while  behind  it  rested  on  his 
shoulders.  One  or  two  eagle  feathers  were  fastened  to  his 
head  in  an  upright  position,  and  swayed  with  every  breath 
of  wind.  As  he  came  near  me,  he  laid  his  bow  and  arrow 
down  upon  the  grass,  and  extended  an  exceedingly  dirty 
hand,  with  finger-nails  fully  an  inch  in  length,  saying,  in 
pretty  fair  Spanish, — 

"Me  Cochise,  white  man's  friend.     Gimme  bacca." 

Turning  to  "Jimmy,"  my  Irish  servant,  whose  experience 
among  the  Indians  had  been  very  limited,  I  found  him 
staring  at  Cochise  with  amazement  depicted  on  every  linea 
ment  of  his  face,  and  'twas  fully  three  minutes  before  he 
recovered  himself  sufficiently  to  ask, — 

"Bedad!  and  what  kind  of  a  crayther  is  that,  to  be 
shure?" 


NO    TASTE   FOR    "INTERVIEWING."  87 

And  when  I  replied, — 

"A  live  Apache,"  with  a  yell  and  a  bound  he  sprang 
towards  the  corral  of  the  overland  mail  company,  and  no 
threats  or  inducements  could  bring  him  forth  until  Cochise 
had  departed. 

I  gave  Cochise  a  supply  of  tobacco  and  some  whiskey, 
and  he  disappeared  almost  as  suddenly  as  he  came. 

We  had  drawn  our  wagons  a  few  rods  below  the  corral, 
close  by  a  little  spring  that  bubbled  out  from  between  the 
rocks,  where  we  intended  to  spend  the  night.  No  particu 
lar  guard  was  kept,  as  we  were  so  near  the  protection  of 
the  mail  company  that  we  apprehended  no  danger.  Yet 
during  the  night  two  of  our  mules  were  stolen,  and  so 
adroitly,  too,  that  the  thieves  left  no  traces  behind  them.  I 
was  strongly  inclined  to  suspect  Cochise,  though  he  indig 
nantly  denied  the  charge,  asserting  that  he  was  a  brave,  and 
not  given  to  stealing.  Nothing  could  have  exceeded  the 

O  CO 

ludicrous  scene  that  ensued  in  the  morning,  when  I  charged 
the  loss  of  the  mules  to  Jimmy's  carelessness,  and  announced 
that  I  should  have  to  send  him  out  to  recover  them. 

" Ho wly  Mother!  "  says  Jimmy.  "And  what  would  they 
be  doin'  while  I  was  gettin'  'em  back?" 

When  informed  they  would  probably  be  taking  his  scalp, 
he  exclaimed, — 

"Och,  Captain,  dear;  shure  if  I  was  you  I'd  lit  the 
mules  go.  We  don't  nade  'em  at  all,  at  all." 


88 


SUDDEN  ILLNESS. 


Still  I  was  obdurate,  and  Jimmy  was  finally  frightened 
into  starting  out  after  them,  protesting  all  the  while,  how 
ever,  that  "whin  he  curn  back  he  knew  viry  will  he'd 
have  no  head  on  his  shouldthers." 

Five   minutes  later  I  discovered  him  lying  under  one   of 


JIMMY'S  MEETING — "HOWLY  MOTHER!  is  THAT  AN  APACHE?" 

the  wagons ;  and  upon  questioning  him  he  informed  me  that 
''he  wus  so  sick  and  intirely  unwill,  that  'twould  be  im 
possible  for  him  to  go  on  the  expedition  I  was  afther  sind- 
ing  him  on,"  and  no  persuasion  could  induce  Jimmy  to 
move  for  the  whole  day.  Here  we  were  obliged  to  remain 


HONESTY  OF   THE   INDIANS!  89 

until  we  could  procure  mules  to  take  the  place  of  those  of 
which  we  had  been  robbed.  The  fourth  day,  towards 
night,  three  Indians  came  in,  driving  four  of  the  sickliest- 
looking  mules  it  had  ever  been  my  lot  to  see,  which  they 
offered  us  for  frvefanagas  of  corn  each.  We  purchased 
them,  and  some  time  afterwards  learned  that  they  had  been 
stolen  from  a  station  of  the  overland  mail  company,  some 
hundred  miles  or  more  west  of  Tucson,  about  five  months 
before. 

During  the  time  we  were  encamped  here  I  had  an  excel 
lent  opportunity  to  examine  and  admire  the  wild  and  mag 
nificent  scenery  of  the  Chiricahui  Mountains,  and  also  to 
become  acquainted  with  the  character  of  Cochise  and  some 
of  the  Apaches,  who  were  spending  the  summer  in  this 
vicinity,  as  its  convenient  locality  enabled  them  to  attack 
and  rob  any  weak  band  of  emigrants  that  might  be  passing 
on  their  way  to  California. 

After  the  experience  of  the.  first  night,  through  the  kind 
ness  of  Major  De  Rythe,  Assistant  Superintendent  of  the 
overland  mail,  we  were  permitted  to  put  our  animals  in  the 
stone  corral  of  the  company,  and  thus  secure  them  from  the 
visits  of  our  Apache  friends. 

While  here,  a  man  named  Frazier,  with  his  family,  con 
sisting  of  his  wife  and  four  children,  passed  through  with 
two  two-horse  wagons,  on  their  way  to  San  Diego,  where 

they   intended    to   settle.     The    oldest    child    was    a    boy, 
12 


90  DIABOLICAL    OUTRAGE. 

seventeen  or  eighteen  years  of  age,  smart  and  energetic;  the 
next  a  girl,  about  sixteen,  who  drove  one  of  the  wagons, 
while  the  mother  drove  the  other.  They  expected  to  reach 
Tucson  in  about  a  week,  where  they  intended  to  recruit  their 
teams  and  wait  for  company,  before  going  on  to  San  Diego. 
Two  days  later  the  conductor  on  the  stage  from  Tucson 
reported  that  just  beyond  the  mouth  of  the  canon  they  had 
found  the  remnants  of  two  wagons,  with  the  dead  and 
mutilated  bodies  of  Frazier  and  his  son  tied  to  the  wheels 
and  partially  burned.  Everything  of  value  had  been  carried 
off,  even  to  the  iron  about  the  wagons.  The  fate  of  the 
mother  and  children  was  never  known. 

Major  De  Rythe  sent  out  the  next  morning  for  the  re 
mains  of  the  unfortunate  men,  but  no  effort  was  made  to 
capture  and  punish  the  murderers  or  retake  the  captives. 
I  have  no  doubt  myself  but  that  the  same  band  of  Indians 
who  were  visiting  us  each  day,  smoking  our  tobacco  and 
drinking  our  whiskey,  were  the  parties  who  committed  the 
murder;  and  yet  we  were  powerless  to  revenge  the  injury. 
This  outrage,  in  some  particulars,  resembles  that  of  the 
Oatman  family,  the  facts  of  which  I  will  give  as  I  learned 
them  from  one  familiar  with  the  details  of  the  atrocious 
transaction,  merely  for  the  purpose  of  showing  the  brutality 
and  diabolical  cruelty  with  which  the  Apaches  always  treat 
those  who  fall  into  their  clutches. 

On   the  llth   of   March,  1851,  Mr.  Royse  Oatman,  with 


THE    OATMAN  TRAGEDY.  91 

his  family,  left  the  Pimo  villages,  bound  for  California. 
His  outfit  consisted  of  two  yoke  of  cows  and  one  of  oxen, 
with  three  wagons.  His  stock  were  jaded  and  worn  by  the 
long  and  tedious  journey  across  the  plains,  and  he  had  pushed 
on  as  far  as  the  Pimo  villages,  hoping  to  be  able  to  replenish 
his  exhausted  supply  of  provisions,  as  well  as  find  company 
to  cross  the  almost  desert  country  that  for  two  hundred  miles 
lies  between  the  Pimos  and  Fort  Yuma.  But  it  had  been 
a  bad  year  for  the  Pimos,  and  they  had  nothing  to  spare; 
indeed,  were  fighting  hard  to  keep  the  wolf  away  from  their 
own  doors.  With  starvation  staring  him  and  his  family  in 
the  face  if  he  remained  with  the  Pimos,  he  determined  to 
attempt  to  reach  Fort  Yurna,  where  he  hoped  to  find  plenty 
of  provisions  and  an  escort.  He  pushed  on,  therefore,  out 
into  the  desert,  his  family  half  starved,  and  his  jaded  cattle 
scarcely  able  to  drag  the  wagons  through  the  deep  sand  that 
surrounded  them  on  all  sides. 

For  seven  days  they  toiled  on,  their  only  comfort  at  night 
the  thought  that  they  were  a  little  nearer  their  goal.  After 
being  obliged  to  unload  their  wagons  at  the  foot  of  every 
little  eminence,  in  order  to  induce  the  weary  cattle  to  make 
the  ascent,  the  afternoon  of  the  eighth  day  found  them  at 
the  foot  of  a  rocky  bluff.  Here  unloading  the  wagons  once 
again,  they  wearily  toiled  along,  till  at  last  its  summit  was 
gained.  Halting  here,  Mr.  Oatman  gave  himself  up  to  the 
most  gloomy  forebodings,  and  the  terrible  prospect  before 


92  KINDNESS   THROWN  AWAY. 

him  was  indeed  overwhelming,—  the  desert  on  all  sides, 
with  starvation  staring  them  in  the  face.  What  was  to  be 
done?  Where  should  they  turn  for  succor? 

Just  at  this  juncture  a  band  of  Indians  were  seen  approach 
ing.  Telling  his  terrified  family  to  keep  quiet,  and  no  one 
would  harm  them,  he  walked  towards  the  Indians,  and, 
addressing  them  in  Spanish,  welcomed  them  to  his  camp. 
Asking  them  to  sit  down,  he  gave  them  pipes  and  tobacco, 
with  the  assurance  that  he  would  give  them  food  did  he 
have  a  supply,  and  treated  them  with  kindness  and  consid 
eration  in  every  way.  The  Indians  were  close  observers 
of  the  enfeebled  condition  of  the  emigrants,  and  after  con 
versing  together  for  a  few  moments  they  suddenly  gave  one 
of  their  terrible  war-whoops,  and  fell  upon  their  victims. 

Lorenzo,  a  boy  of  fifteen,  was  first  struck  on  the  head 
and  knocked  down.  Next  half  a  dozen  of  the  savages  rushed 
upon  Mr.  Oatman,  and  despatched  him  with  their  knives, 
while  Mrs.  Oatman  and  her  infant  daughter  were  beaten  to 
death  with  clubs.  Olive  and  Mary,  the  first  sixteen,  and 
the  other  eleven  years  of  age,  were  securely  held  by  two 
Indians,  at  a  little  distance,  where  they  could  witness  tho 
terrible  scene.  Lorenzo  was  then  seized  and  thrown  down 
the  rocky  side  of  the  mesa,  and  must  have  fallen  at  least 
forty  feet  to  the  ground  below.  If  any  person  could  stand 
and  look  at  the  place  from  which  he  was  thrown,  and  realize 
how  it  was  possible  for  him  to  escape  instant  death,  their 


WONDERFUL  ESCAPE.  93 

experience  would  be  different  from  mine.     And  yet,  strange 
as  it  may  appear,  he  was  not  killed. 

4 

He  says  that  after  consciousness  returned,  strange,  dis 
cordant  sounds  grated  upon  his  ear,  which,  gradually  dying 
away,  were  succeeded  by  strains  of  such  sweet  music  as 
completely  ravished  his  senses.  He  finally  managed  to 
creep  up  the  hill  to  the  camp  upon  the  mesa,  where  the 
dead  bodies  of  his  father,  mother,  and  sister  met  his  gaze, 
lying  mutilated  and  bloody  among  the  scattered  remnants 
of  the  wagons  and  their  contents.  He  instantly  missed  the 
bodies  of  Olive  and  Mary,  and  knew  that  they  must  have 
been  carried  away  captives.  Weary  and  faint,  he  succeeded 
in  dragging  himself  down  towards  the  river,  which,  after 
terrible  suffering,  he  reached,  almost  famishing  with  thirst. 
Here  he  laid  himself  down,  and  slept  for  several  hours. 
When  he  awoke,  his  first  thought  was  to  return  to  the  Pimo 
villages;  and  starting  out,  he  travelled  for  two  days,  walk 
ing  as  long  as  he  was  able,  and  then  crawling  on  his  hands 
and  knees,  resting  himself  whenever  he  could  find  the  shade 
of  a  friendly  bush,  delirious  part  of  the  time,  and  constantly 
haunted  by  the  fear  that  he  should  again  fall  into  the  hands 
of  the  Indians.  Every  moment  he  grew  weaker  and  weaker 
from  hunger  and  thirst.  Death  seemed  inevitable.  And  at 
last,  yielding  to  despair,  he  laid  himself  down,  expecting 
every  breath  to  be  his  last.  How  long  he  remained  there 
he  cannot  tell,  but  he  was  aroused  to  consciousness  by  the 


94  INHUMANITY. 

discordant  bark  of  a  pack  of  hungry  wolves.  Weak  as  ho 
was,  he  fought  them  off  with  sticks  and  stones.  Next  day 
two  friendly  Piino  Indians  found  him,  nearer  dead  than 
alive,  and  carried  him  to  their  village,  where,  after  weeks 
of  terrible  suffering,  he  finally  recovered. 

From  the  account  given  by  him,  it  appears  that  as  soon 
as  the  Apaches  had  finished  their  murders,  they  plundered 
the  wagons,  and  taking  Olive  and  Mary  captives,  fled  across 
the  river.  The  girls  were  without  adequate  clothing,  bare 
headed  and  bare-footed,  yet  they  were  dragged  along  over 
sharp  stones  and  brambles,  no  heed  being  paid  to  their 
exhausted  condition,  the  savages  even  using  clubs  to  force 
them  along.  Their  feet  were  torn  and  bleeding,  and  their 
flesh  lacerated  by  the  thorns  of  the  thickets  through  which 
they  had  to  pass.  The  younger  sister,  always  a  weak, 
sickly  child,  was  repeatedly  beaten  by  the  savages,  who 
threatened  to  kill  her  if  she  lagged  behind.  Late  in  the 
night  they  halted  for  a  few  hours.  Sunrise,  however,  found 
them  again  on  the  move.  Thus  they  travelled  for  four 
clays,  the  girls  enduring  the  most  incredible  suffering  all 
the  while.  At  the  close  of  the  fourth  day  they  reached  the 
Apache  village,  where  they  were  welcomed  by  songs, 
shouts,  and  wild  dances,  which  continued  with  little  inter- 
mis  siou  for  three  days,  the  poor  children  being  placed  in 
the  centre  of  the  fiendish  circle,  and  compelled  to  witness 
the  most  shocking  and  obscene  sights.  They  were  after- 


6' OLD    TO    THE   MOJAVES.  95 

wards  compelled  to  labor  from  morning  until  night,  in  a 
state  of  such  filth  and  abject  misery,  that  it  is  difficult  to 
realize  how,  young  as  they  were,  they  could  endure  the 
extreme  hardships  to  which  they  were  subjected,  and  live. 
'They  were  often  without  food  for  two  days  at  a  time,  save 
as  they  could  steal  a  few  roots  or  berries  while  at  work. 

About  a  year  after  their  capture,  the  Apaches  sold  them 
to  a  band  of  Mojaves,  for  some  corn  and  skins.  Now  came 
the  time  of  Olive's  severest  trial.  Mary,  worn  out  by  toil 
and  suffering,  weary  with  watching  and  waiting  for  some 
sign  of  relief  from  a  life  of  brutality  and  privation,  at  last 
yielded  to  despair  and  prayed  earnestly  that  her  sufferings 
might  be  ended  by  death.  And  that  night,  singing  the 
hymns  she  had  learned  in  happier  days,  her  soul  was 
ushered  into  eternity,  and  the  weary  little  body  buried,  by 
the  loving  hands  of  her  sister,  in  a  spot  of  earth  that,  dur 
ing  their  servitude,  they  had  cultivated  together  for  these 
inhuman  wretches. 

Olive  remained  four  years  among  the  Mojaves,  enduring 
great  hardships.  In  1856,  she  was  purchased  by  a  Mr. 
Grinnell,  who  took  her  to  Fort  Yuma,  and  a  few  weeks 
later  she  was  sent  to  her  brother,  then  living  at  Los 
Angeles,  California. 

Such  is  a  true  history  of  the  Oatmau  family,  as  corrobo 
rated  by  both  Lorenzo  and  Olive.  A  sad  one  indeed,  yet  not 
uncommon  for  Arizona.  Not  one  in  a  hundred,  however, 


5)6  AN  UNDESIRABLE  FRIEND. 

of  those  taken  captives  by  the  Apaches,    ever  live   to  tell 
the  story. 

It  has  since  been  ascertained  that  the  party  who  massa 
cred  the  Oatmans  were  Tonto  Apaches,  under  the  leadership 
of  Mangus  Colorado,  who  styled  himself  "The  white  man's 
friend." 


CHAPTER    VII. 


>-  -cv 


T  was  while  in  camp    tit   me 
Apache   Pass,   that    I  began 
to  experience  a  strong  desire 
^Fto  learn  more  of  the  Apache 

tribe. 

'.v      I  broached  the  matter   to 
///Cochise  one  day,  after  treat- 
,ing  him  liberally  to  whiskey, 
but  he  did  not  care  to   talk 
on  t-he  subject. 
My  friends  all  tried  to  dissuade  me  from  the  undertaking ; 
but  a  bale  of  smoking  tobacco,  a  five-gallon  keg  of  whiskey, 
with  a  pair  of  bright  red  blankets,  were  too  strong  induce 
ments  for  Cochise,  and  his  consent  once  gained,  I  determined 
to   start  alone  for  the  rancheria  of  the   Final   and   Tonto 
Apaches,  situated  about  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles  west 
of  north  from  the  Chiricahui   Mountains,  near  the  Rio  Gila. 
He  assured  me  that  there  was  no  danger  to  be  apprehended 
13  (97) 


98  BOUND  FOR  APACHEDOM. 

from  stray  bands  of  Indians;  and,  after  his  consenting  to 
leave  his  brother  in  the  hands  of  Major  De  Rythc,  as  hostage 
for  our  safe  return,  we  started  for  a  trip  to  the  home  of  the 
Apaches,  my  object  being,  as  much  as  anything  else,  to  see 
the  country  which  every  American  in  Arizona  was  confident 
furnished  the  gold  with  which  these  Indians  were*  so  lavish 
when  they  came  into  the  settlements. 

Cochise  and  myself  each  had  one  riding  mule,  and  in 
addition  thereto  I  had  three  pack  mules,  one  of  which  was 
loaded  down  with  two  huge  leathern  bottles,  holding  about 
six  gallons  each,  filled  with  water. 

It  was  a  lovely  morning  in  June,  that  we  started. 

The  parting  with  "Jimmy"  was  affecting,  he  swearing 
"  if  he'd  iver  thought  I  was  a  goin'  that  way  he  would  have 
kilt  me  intirely  before  I  started." 

After  leaving  the  Chiricahui  Mountains,  Cochise,  striking 
across  the  country  in  a  northwesterly  direction,  soon  came 
upon  a  trail;  following  this  trail,  we  travelled  all  day  over 
an  alkali  plain,  which  reflected  the  rays  of  the  burning  sun 
with  an  intensity  that  would  have  done  credit  to  the  most 
highly-polished  mirror. 

There  was  absolutely  nothing  to  relieve  the  eye,  but  the 
distant  outline  of  the  Chiricahui  Mountains  behind  us,  or 
the  rough  line  of  the  high  country  we  were  approaching, 
save  that  occasionally  we  saw  the  beautiful  blue  waters  of 
a  magnificent  lake  with  its  white-capped  waves  rolling 


WONDERFUL  MIRAGE.  99 

towards  the  shore,  which  appeared  to  be  covered  with  trees 
of   every  conceivable  shape  and  height. 

Having  frequently  witnessed  this  mirage  on  the  plains,  1 
understood  its  deception,  though  never  had  I  seen  it  sc 
perfect  before.  Indeed,  I  could  hardly  realize  that  it  was 


JIMMY, 


the  "  Greenhorn's  Lake/'  a  mere  phantom  of  the  imagina 
tion,  that  had  lured  many  an  unwary  traveller  miles  out  of 
his  course,  in  the  vain  hope  that  he  might  quench  his  thirst, 
and  lave  his  burning  limbs  in  its  delicious  coolness. 

As  we  approached  the  high  ground,  Cochise  gave  me  to 


100  AN  OASIS   IN  THE  DESERT. 

• 

understand  that  we  should  be  obliged  to  camp  for  the  night 
on  the  plains,  without  grass  for  our  mules;  but  that  by  ris 
ing  early  in  the  morning,  we  should  in  a  few  hours  reach 
both  water  and  grass. 

Before  noon  of  the  next  day  we  came  to  a  little  jruya, 
down  which  trickled  a  small  stream. 

Cochise  soon  made  a  little  tank,  by  scooping  out  the  sand 
with  his  hands;  this  quickly  filled  with  water,  from  which 
our  thirsty  mules  drank  eagerly.  Here  we  tarried  for  the 
remainder  of  the  day. 

Early  the  next  morning  we  started.  Another  day  over 
alkali  plains,  rocky  mesas,  and  across  aroyas  and  gullies, 
until  just  at  night  we  came  to  a  low,  green  spot,  where  a 
little  spring  gushed  forth  from  the  foot  of  the  bluff,  and 
here  we  halted  for  the  night. 

Cochise  killed  an  antelope  with  his  bow  and  arrows, 
which  furnished  us  some  juicy  steaks,  far  preferable  to  the 
hard,  dry  meat  we  had  provided  for  the  trip. 

The  next  morning  we  commenced  the  ascent  of  the  bluff. 
And  here  let  me  disclaim  the  ability  to  give  the  reader  any 
thing  but  a  faint  idea  of  the  scene  that  burst  upon  my  view, 
or  the  experiences  of  that  day's  travel. 

No  tongue  ever  spoke,  no  pen  ever  wrote,  that  could 
adequately  describe  the  grandeur  and  sublimity,  as  well  as 
the  utter  desolation,  that  appalls,  wkile  it  enchants,  the 
traveller,  through  the  perils  that  here  beset  him  at  every  step. 


TEE  JOURNEY  OF  DEATH.  101 

Well  did  Cochise  call  it  the  "  Jornada  del  Muerte,"  or 
Journey  of  Death. 

Imagine,  if  you  can,  a  valley  or  plain  eighty  miles  in 
width,  and  extending  for  hundreds  of  miles  on  either  side 
of  you.  It  is  a  valley,  only  because  you  are  surrounded  by 
interminable  ranges  of  mountains;  it  is  a  plain,  only  because 
there  are  mountains  before  you  and  mountains  behind  you. 
To  your  uneducated  eye,  it  presents  a  smooth  and  un 
broken  surface,  yet  there  is  hardly  a  level  spot  upon  its  face. 
It  is  a  mass  of  canons,  ravines,  ridges,  gullies,  chasms,  and 
mountains,  piled  one  above  another  in  inextricable  confu 
sion,  in  all  conceivable  shapes,  towering  above  and  around 
you  on  all  sides. 

Cathedrals  of  huge  size,  castles,  rotundas,  amphitheatres 
with  domes  and  towers,  are  on  every  hand,  while  yonder, 
rising  a  thousand  feet  in  the  air,  is  a  strange  resemblance 
to  a  mighty  organ,  with  its  pipes  consisting  of  huge  col 
umns  of  green,  white,  blue,  brown,  and  pink  sandstone 
towering  high  above  you,  with  the  tops  worn  by  the  winds 
and  waters  into  points  seemingly  like  needles.  Count 
them:  there  are  forty. 

While  we  are  wondering  what  mighty  Mechanic  constructed 
this  huge  instrument,  and  whose  fingers  press  its  wonderful 
key-board,  our  guide  strikes  once  more  into  the  path,  scarce 
twelve  inches  in  width,  and  we  move  forward  again  on  the 
Apache  trail.  We  commence  to  descend  the  banks  of  a 


102  MAMMOTH  CANON. 

deep  ravine,  our  mules  carefully  picking  their  way  along, 
the  path  constantly  impeded  by  huge  boulders  of  granite, 
blocks  of  sandstone,  fissures  and  chasms  worn  into  the  earth 
by  floods  ages  ago.  Around  you  on  all  sides  are  to  be 
seen  mountain  peaks,  ranges,  mesas,  pinnacles,  and  crags, 
bald  and  gray.  Yonder  stands  a  castle,  with  its  towers  and 
spires  hundreds  of  feet  in  height,  its  walls  of  blue  gray  lime 
stone  mixed  with  white  and  red  granite,  beautifully  mottled 
with  shales  of  every  conceivable  color.  Seemingly  but  a 
few  miles  in  front  of  us  we  readily  imagine  we  are  about  ap 
proaching  some  enchanted  castle,  where  we  shall  not  fail  to 
find  the  rest,  as  well  as  food,  which  we  so  much  need, 
when  we  suddenly  find  ourselves  upon  the  edge  of  a  canon, 
two  thousand  feet  in  depth. 

As  we  gaze  down  into  the  depths  of  this  vast  abyss,  a 
feeling  of  terror  creeps  over  us,  as  we  vainly  strive  to  pierce 
the  deep  gloom  that  shrouds  its  rocky  sides,  and  verges  into 
total  darkness  far  beneath  us. 

The  walls  are  perpendicular,  and  of  a  blood-red  color. 
No  vegetation  is  anywhere  to  be  seen;  nothing  but  the 
stones  around  us,  and  the  grayish  white  alkali  on  the  sur 
face  of  the  plain  on  which  we  stand,  with  its  surroundings 
of  crags,  pinnacles,  towers,  and  mesas  of  rock  rising  far 
above  us,  until  their  summits  pierce  the  clouds  on  the  one 
side,  and  this  black,  yawning  abyss  just  before  us. 

Cochise   moves   to  the   left,  and  there  we  find  a  narrow 


WE  EXPLORE  IT.  103 

shelf  of  rock  jutting  out  from  the  perpendicular  walls,  just 
wide  enough  to  stand  upon. 

We  follow  its  course  with  our  eye  until  it  is  lost  in 
gloom;  and  yet  this  is  the  only  way  of  crossing  the  canon 
before  us. 

Cochise  now  dismounts,  and  from  him  I  endeavor  to 
learn  something  of  this  wonderful  gorge  which  we  are 
about  to  cross;  but,  Indian  like,  he  is  reticent,  and  reveals 
nothing. 

He  motions  to  me  that  we  must  leave  our  mules  to  follow 
us,  and  utters  the  single  word  adelante,  or  forward.  As 
we  descend  into  the  gloom,  we  feel  as  if  we  were  about  to 
bid  good-bye  to  the  earth  and  the  sunlight,  and  to  enter  the 
abode  of  the  fiends .  Our  imagination  peoples  the  chasm 
with  myriads  of  imps  and  gnomes. 

Just  before  us,  the  point  of  rock  standing  out  so  promi 
nently  resembles  a  huge  giant  ready  to  crush  us  in  his  ter 
rible  grasp  for  our  audacity  in  presuming  to  venture  within 
the  realms  guarded  so  sedulously  by  his  misshapen  form. 
On,  on  we  go,  now  avoiding  a  rock  in  our  path,  here 
sending  a  pebble  over  the  brink  of  the  abyss  at  our  side. 
The  gloom  becomes  more  intense  as  we  descend.  We  cast 
our  eyes  upwards:  a  perpendicular  wall  on  either  side  of  us, 
nnd  far  above  us  a  narrow  band  of  light,  against  which  the 
ragged  and  scarred  edges  of  the  gulf,  seemingly  almost 
meeting,  stand  out  in  bold  relief,  giving  us  the  impression 


104  THE  HAUNTING   ECHO. 

that  we  are  about  to  be  crushed  between  the  teeth  of  two 
gigautic  saws. 

Not  a  sound  is  to  be  heard,  save  the  hesitating  footsteps 
of  our  mules;  when  suddenly  Cochise,  who  is  some  distance 
in  advance,  utters  an  oath  in  Spanish. 

The  opposite  side  of  the  canon  echoes  it,  and  it  is  carried 
from  side  to  side,  from  point  to  point,  from  rock  to  rock, 
from  crag  to  crag,  with  fearful  distinctness,  till  it  resembles, 
to  our  ears,  the  cries  of  the  demons,  who,  we  are  sure,  sur 
round  us,  and  inhabit  this  direct  descent  to  the  home  of 
Los  Infernos. 

Still  we  go  on,  still  continue  to  descend. 

Soon  we  hear  the  faint  murmur  of  water,  as  far  below 
us  it  forces  its  way  among  the  rocks  and  boulders  that 
form  the  bed  of  the  river,  and  we  feel  rejoiced  that  the 
poor  animals  so  carefully  following  us  are  so  soon  to  be 
refreshed  with  a  draught  of  cool  water,  after  their  tedious 
journey  over  masses  of  rock,  baked  clay,  and  alkali 
powder. 

Instinctively  we  look  behind  us,  and  we  see  that  they  too 
have  heard  the  grateful  sound,  and  are  hurrying  along,  as 
though  impatient  to  taste  its  refreshing  coolness. 

Then  comes  the  thought,  that  frequently,  when  suffering 
from  thirst,  mules  have  been  known  to  stampede  at  the 
smell  of  water.  Suppose  this  should  be  the  case  with  ours  ? 
What,  then,  would  be  our  fate?  We  cast  our  eyes  over  the 


DESCENT   UNDER  DIFFICULTIES.  105 

brink  of  the  yawning  chasm,  and  then  back  upon  our  mules, 
as  if  to  measure  distance  and  strength. 

The  sight  of  their  erect  ears,  distended  nostrils,  and  glar 
ing  eyes  does  not  tend  to  reassure  us,  and  we  look  in  vain 
for  some  spot  wide  enough  to  enable  them  to  pass  us  in 
safety. 

Nothing  but  a  solid  perpendicular  wall  above  us,  and 
empty  space  for  six  hundred  feet  below. 

We  must  <K>  on.     There  is  no  turning  back.     The  gloom 

O  O  O 

increases  with  every  step.  The  walls  around  assume  in  the 
darkness  a  thousand  grotesque  and  misshapen  forms.  The 
obstacles  in  our  pathway  become  more  frequent  and  danger 
ous.  The  darkness  becomes  more  and  more  intense.  We 
can  no  longer  sec  the  path  for  more  than  four  or  five  feet 
ahead  of  us. 

Now,  as  it  abruptly  turns  an  angle,  we  lose  sight  of  it 
altogether,  and  we  feel  as  though  the  next  step  might  pre 
cipitate  us  into — what? 

And  so  we  go  on,  hesitating,  doubting,  fearing,  until, 
after  hours  of  tedious  toil,  such  as  I  hope  never  again  to 
experience,  we  finally  reach  the  bed  of  the  river  that  has 
worn  this  mighty  wrinkle  in  the  face  of  Mother  Earth. 

After  allowing  our  thirsty  animals  time  to  drink,  and 

tilling  our  canteens  and  leathern  bottles  with  fresh  water,  we 

follow  down  the  bed  of  the  stream  for  a  mile,  cautiously 

feeling  our  way  in  the   darkness   as  best  we  can,  stumbling 

14 


106  ..    DESOLATION. 

against  boulders  of  granite,  and  over  stones  and  masses  of 
trap,  that  have  been  precipitated  from  the  vast  heights  above 
us,  until  at  length  we  reach  the  point  where  we  are  to  begin 
the  ascent. 

Wearily  toiling  up  the  steep  path,  picking  our  way  over 
rocks  and  fissures,  gullies  and  stones,  all  the  while  gaining 
light,  though  losing  strength,  we  at  last  reach  the  level  of 
the  plain  that  we  left  in  the  morning,  to  find  ourselves  in  the 
twilight,  only  four  miles  below  the  point  where  we  began 
the  descent,  having  been  more  than  ten  hours  in  making  the 
journey. 

Here,  upon  the  very  brink  of  this  fearful  chasm,  we 
throw  ourselves  upon  the  ground,  declaring  we  can  go  no 
farther.  Here  we  must  camp  for  the  night.  No  vegetation, 
no  grass  for  our  mules,  no  water,  no  food, —  nothing  but 
desolation. 

We  are  no  nearer  the  enchanted  castle  than  we  were 
before  we  made  the  passage  of  this  frightful  canon.  The 
pipes  of  that  same  grand  old  organ  look  down  upon  us. 
The  same  butes,  mesas,  pillars,  towers,  and  needles  of 
rock,  with  canons,  ravines,  chasms,  and  fissures,  surround 
us  that  surrounded  us  in  the  morning.  Then,  we  saw  them 
as  the  beams  of  the  rising  sun  gilded  their  summits;  now, 
we  see  them  towering  up  in  the  twilight,  and  assuming  a 
thousand  fanciful  and  grotesque  shapes  that  we  had  not 
dreamed  they  possessed  before. 


LOWER   PORTION  OF  THE  CANON. 


A    TROUBLED  SLEEP.  107 

Tired  and  exhausted,  we  wrap  ourselves  in  our  blankets, 
and  throw  ourselves  upon  the  ground  to  sleep. 

To  sleep,  did  I  say? 

No ;  for  again  the  scenes  of  the  day  pass  in  rapid  succes 
sion  before  us.  Our  fears,  our  doubts,  the  descent  of  that 
perilous  path,  all  a  thousand  times  more  fraught  with  danger 
than  we  had  imagined  at  the  outset. 

While  we  are  debating  in  our  minds  whether  we  shall  be 
able  to  cross  in  safety  an  immense  fissure  that  yawns  fright 
fully  before  us,  we  hear  the  voice  of  Cochise  saying  "ariva," 
and  we  awake  to  a  repetition  of  yesterday's  toils. 

I  am  fully  aware,  kind  reader,  that  I  have  failed  to  give 
you  but  a  faint  idea  of  the  iDerils  that  beset  the  traveller 
into  the  Apache  wilds.  I  only  wish  I  possessed  the  pencil 
of  a  Bierstadt,  that  I  might  portray  upon  canvas  some  of  the 
features  of  the  remarkable  country  which  I  visited  during 
my  two  weeks'  trip  with  Cochise. 

Another  day  over  a  country  presenting  the  same  striking 
characteristics  as  those  over  which  we  had  so  recently  passed. 
The  same  alkali  powder,  fissures,  chasms,  and  turfless  soil, 
relieved  only  by  the  misshapen  rocks  of  brown  and  yellow 
ish  granite,  that  seemed  to  have  been  thrown  together  by 
some  terrible  convulsion  of  nature,  the  power  of  which  no 
human  creature  could  conceive. 

Late  in  the  afternoon,  Cochise  called  my  attention  to  four 
or  five  small  black  specks  in  the  distance,  apparently  perched 


108 


NON-COMMITTAL. 


upon  one  of  those  mesas,  or  truncated  mounds,  which  are  so 
abundant  in  this  country. 

Cochise  at  once  recognized  them  as  Apaches,  a  fact  that 
le  communicated  to  me;  but  nothing  would  induce  him  to 
enlighten  me  further  on  the  subject;  and  as  I  had  literally 


THE    APACHES      HOME. 


taken  my  "life  in  my  hand,"  I  felt  there  was  no  alternative 
but  to  abide  the  consequences. 

Two  hours'  travel  brought  us  to  the  top  of  a  bare,  rugged 
bluff,  completely  indented  with  fissures  and  gullies  worn 
into  its  side  by  the  winds  and  waters  of  a  thousand  years, 


CASTLES  IN  THE  AIE.  109 

when  Cochise  abruptly  stopped,  and  pointing  over  the  edge 
of  the  bluff,  said,  as  I  thought,  with  no  small  degree  of  pride, 
1 '  Look  1  Apache  home ! ' ' 

I  did  look,  and  the  sight  which  greeted  my  eyes  made  an 
indelible  impression  upon  me. 

A  beautiful  valley,  carpeted  with  a  rich  green-sward,  ex 
tending  fully  three  miles  in  length,  and  nearly,  if  not  quite, 
a  mile  in  width,  through  which  a  stream,  with  water  clear  as 
crystal,  meandered  over  its  bed  of  pebbles, —  its  banks 
skirted  with  a  kind  of  small  willow,  whose  foliage  of  yellow 
ish  green  contrasted  strangely  with  the  darker  shade  of  the 
grass,  and  all  surrounded  by  a  range  of  bluffs,  fully  a  hun 
dred  feet  high,  worn  into  representations  of  castellated  forts, 
with  bastions,  scarps,  lunettes,  gorges,  and  curtains,  till 
one  could  almost  fancy  the  whole  encompassed  by  an  im 
pregnable  fortress. 

Scattered  up  and  down  the  valley  were  the  Apache  huts, 
looking,  with  their  yellow  thatch,  like  the  inverted  halves 
of  so  many  huge  melons. 

Before  nearly  every  door  a  little  camp-fire  was  burning, 
from  which  the  smoke  was  lazily  ascending,  until,  losing 
its  density,  it  was  lost  in  air. 

Far  towards  the  upper  end  of  the  valley  could  be  seen 
peacefully  grazing  a  large  herd  of  cattle,  ponies,  and  mules; 
while  near  the  lower  end  a  few  patches  ot  squaw  com 
loomed  up,  as  though  proudly  marking  the  only  visible 
traces  of  civilization. 


110  INDIANA,  AHOY! 

As  I  contemplated  this  really  beautiful  scene,  I  could  not 
help  contrasting  the  softness  of  the  picture  spread  out  before 
me,  with  the  hard,  sterile  features  of  the  country  over  which 
we  had  just  journeyed,  and  I  almost  felt  that  I  was  about  to 
descend  into  the  "Happy  Valley''  of  Rassolas,  instead  of 
into  the  home  of  the  cruel  and  blood-thirsty  Apaches,  who 
were,  in  truth,  the  scourge  of  the  land. 

As  we  stood  there  motionless  upon  the  top  of  the  bluff, 
our  presence  was  discovered  by  some  of  the  Indians  in  the 
village,  who  at  once  signalled  us  by  a  yell;  and  in  an  in 
stant,  it  seemed  to  me,  the  barking  of  a  thousand  dogs, 
mingled  with  the  shouts  of  the  warriors  and  the  screaming 
of  women  and  children,  heralded  our  approach. 

Cochise  gave  back  an  answering  yell,  and,  as  if  by  magic, 
every  sound  was  hushed,  save  that  the  mule  of  Cochise  gave 
a  loud  bray,  which  was  instantly  answered  in  a  dozen 
directions  by  mules  in  the  village. 

We  quietly  descended  the  steep  bluff  by  one  of  the  paths 
that  was  worn  into  its  face,  and  which  seemed  to  form  a 
complete  net-work  over  it;  and  I  soon  found  myself  among 
a  lot  of  the  dirtiest,  filthiest,  most  degraded-looking  set  of 
creatures  that  I  ever  saw  in  the  guise  of  humanity. 

The  men  were  naked,  except  the  breech  clout  and  moc 
casins;  the  women  had  dirty  old  blankets  tied  around 
their  waists,  and  the  upper  part  of  the  body  entirely 
exposed;  while  the  expression  on  the  faces  of  all  was 


HOSPITABLY  TREATED.  Ill 

cruel  and  brutal,  a  look  of   cunning  pervading  each  coun 
tenance. 

The  women  were  particularly  ugly,  fat,  and  dirty;  and 
I  looked  in  vain  for  some  of  the  "beautiful  squaws*'  that 
had  been  pictured  so  graphically  by  Cooper  and  Lossing. 
Not  one  was  to  be  found. 

Not  a  gleam  of  intelligence  nor  a  line  of  beauty  was  to 
be  seen  either  in  the  face  or  form  of  those  around  me.  As 
I  gazed  at  them,  I  almost  wished,  in  the  characteristic  lan 
guage  of  Jimmy,  that  I  had  "been  kilt  before  I  started." 

There  was  but  one  course  to  pursue,  however;  to  put  a 
bold  face  on  the  matter,  and  be  prepared  for  anything  that 
might  happen. 

Cochise  said  a  few  words  to  the  crowd,  in  a  dialect  I  did 
not  understand,  and  then  motioned  for  me  to  dismount. 
This  I  did,  and  instantly  the  hands  of  a  dozen  warriors  were 
extended  to  grasp  mine,  each  one  muttering  his  welcome 
in  a  low,  guttural  sound  as  he  shook  my  hand. 

I  was  shown  to  a  hut  which  Cochise  told  me,  in  Spanish, 
I  w**^  to  occupy  while  there ;  and  the  warriors  at  once  com 
menced  to  unsaddle  and  unpack  the  animals,  which  were 
then  turned  out- to  graze  upon  the  luxuriant  herbage  that 
surrounded  us  on  all  sides.  I  had  a  few  moments'  time 
to  examine  the  hut  in  which  I  was  thus  domiciled,  and 
found  its  framework  to  be  poles  set  in  the  ground,  and 
bent  over  until  they  reached  *i,  common  centre,  where  they 
were  tied  together. 


112  A   GUEST  PERFORCE. 

The  sides  were  composed  of  skins,  while  the  roof  was 
formed  of  bundles  of  long  rushes  and  tulle,  firmly  tied 
together,  which  had  been  bleached  by  the  weather  almost 
white.  The  place  seemed  to  be  clean,  and  Cochise  at  once 
proceeded  to  bring  all  the  articles,  even  to  the  huge  leathern 
bottles,  into  the  hut,  at  the  same  time  assuring  me  that  his 
tribe  were  not  thieves,  like  the  Mojaves. 

After  partaking  of  a  hearty  supper  of  pernmican,  I  spread 
my  blanket,  glad  of  an  opportunity  to  rest  after  the  hard 
ships  of  our  tedious  journey,  quite  content  that  Cochise 
should  share  my  hut  and  guard  it  from  intruders. 

I  was  not  permitted  to  enjoy  the  quiet  long,  however,  for 
Cochise  informed  me  that  some  of  the  braves  proposed  to 
have  a  dance  in  honor  of  my  visit,  and  that  I  would  be  ex 
pected  to  be  present  on  the  festive  occasion,  and  compensate 
the  warriors  with  a  piece  of  "bacca."  Of  course  I  was 
obliged  to  submit,  which  I  did  with  a  very  poor  grace 
indeed. 

Upon  going  out,  we  found  assembled  about  a  dozen 
braves  around  a  small  fire,  who  arose  upon  our  approach, 
and  each  extended  a  hand  of  welcome. 

Seating  ourselves,  two  Apaches  commenced  beating  a 
drum,  which  was  made  by  tightly  drawing  a  skin  of  rawhide 
over  the  end  of  a  hollow  log  about  three  feet  in  diameter. 
To  the  beat  of  this  drum,  the  braves  kept  time  with  a  kind 
of  rattle,  made  of  a  short  piece  of  wood,  from  which 


NOVEL  ENTERTAINMENT.  113 

depended  eight  or  ten  thongs  of  rawhide,  upon  which  were 
strung  bears'  claws,  eagles'  claws,  deer's  feet,  bits  of  bone, 
and  small  stones. 

These  were  furiously  shaken  together,  while  they  kept 
their  bodies  swaying  to  the  beating  of  the  drum,  and  accom 
panying  the  motion  by  shouting  in  a  high  falsetto  tone,  "Hi 
yah,  hi  yah,  hoo  hoo.' ' 

Taken  altogether,  it  was  the  most  diabolical  attempt  at 
music  to  which  I  ever  listened;  and  glad  enough  was  I  to 
give  them  their  tobacco,  and  once  more  reach  the  shelter  of 
my  hut,  where,  crawling  into  my  blankets,  I  was  soon  en 
joying 

"  Tired  Nature's  sweet  restorer,  balmy  sleep," 

utterly  oblivious  to  the  fact  that  I  was  surrounded  by  as 
villanous  a  set  of  fellows  as 

"  Ever  cut  a  throat/3 

I  remained  in  this  state   of   blissful   unconsciousness  til] 
long  after  the  sun   had   risen    the  next  morning,   and    thf 
whole  village  was  astir. 
15 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

S  I  lay  in  my  blanket  the  next  morning, 
reflecting  upon  my  situation,  I  was  far  from 
experiencing  that  sense  of  contentment  and 
repose  that  had  heretofore  solaced  me  in  my 
journey.  I  became  painfully  aware  of  the 
dangers  which  threatened  me  on  every  hand ; 
and,  on  the  principle,  perhaps,  that  "misery 
likes  company,"  most  sincerely  regretted  that  no  one  had 
accompanied  me. 

Enjoying  anything  but  a  contented  mind,  I  arose  from  my 
lowly  couch,  and  proceeded,  towel  in  hand,  to  the  little 
stream  that  meandered  so  quietly  through  the  valley,  to 
perform  my  morning  ablutions.  This,  of  course,  attracted 
a  crowd  of  women  and  children,  to  whom  a  piece  of  soap  was 
as  great  a  curiosity  as  would  be  the  sight  of  a  live  Apache 
on  Broadway.  Its  philosophy  they  could  not  understand. 
Why  wetting  it  made  the  beautiful  white  foam,  which  they 
endeavored  to  catch  in  their  hands  as  it  floated  down  the 

(114) 


A   SAPONACEOUS  MYSTERY. 


115 


stream,  to  vanish  at  their  touch,  was  a  mystery  beyond 
their  comprehension.  Notwithstanding  the  soap-plant  grew 
all  around  them  in  profusion,  not  one  of  them  knew  its 
value  or  use. 

After  satisfying  their  curiosity  as  well  as  I  was  able,  at 


SOAP    AND    WATER. 


the  expense  of  a  large  share  of  my  soap,  I  returned  to  my 
quarters  to  prepare  breakfast,  Cochise  having  faithfuliy 
Kept  guard  during  my  absence,  declining  the  oft-repeated 
invitations  to  partake  of  the  messes  in  their  huge  camp  ket 
tles,  which  wTere  boiling  over  the  fire  before  the  huts. 


116  FRIENDS   OR  FOES? 

While  making  a  hasty  meal  of  beef  and  atole,  I  became 
conscious  that  something  of  an  extraordinary  nature  was  go 
ing  on  in  the  village.  Even  Cochise  seemed  excited  as  he 
informed  me  that  the  scouts  had  signalled  the  approach  of  a 
large  party  of  Indians,  but  whether  friendly  or  otherwise 
could  not  as  yet  be  ascertained,  so  great  was  their  distance 
from  the  village.  They  were  probably  Apaches,  though 
possibly  they  might  be  Mojaves,  with  which  tribe  the 
Apaches  were  then  at  war. 

Here  was  a  situation  which  I  had  not  anticipated.  To  be 
killed  in  an  Apache  village  as  an  Apache,  was  a  fate  of 
which  I  had  never  dreamed,  even  in  the  wildest  surmises 
as  to  the  probable  termination  of  my  earthly  career.  With 
as  much  indifference  as  I  could  assume,  I  asked  Cochise 
his  opinion  of  the  advancing  party.  His  reply,  "Quien 
Sabe?"  was  anything  but  consoling  to  me  in  my  present 
situation. 

Regretting  the  temerity  that  had  induced  me  to  undertake 
such  an  expedition,  I  hastily  finished  my  breakfast,  and 
went  out  of  my  hut,  to  find  the  larger  portion  of  the  people 
assembled  on  the  top  of  the  bluff,  gazing  at  the  approach 
ing  band.  A  dozen  or  so  of  the  braves  had  sprung  on  to 
their  ponies  and  were  riding  across  the  plains  as  fast  as 
their  animals  could  carry  them.  All  was  confusion  and 
excitement.  Some  of  the  warriors  were  examining  their 
spear-heads,  others  their  bows  and  arrows. 


RETURN  OF   THE   CHIEF.  117 

Cochise  soon  announced,  much  to  my  relief,  that  it  was 
a  portion  of  their  own  band,  who  had  gone  out  under 
Marigus  Colorado,  for  a  raid  into  Sonora.  They  had  been 
gone  about  "a  moon";  and  judging  from  the  number  of 
cattle  and  mules  driven  before  them,  the  raid  must  have 
been  a  successful  one. 

As  soon  as  it  was  known  that  Mangus  Colorado  was  re 
turning,  the  excitement  at  once  subsided.  The  braves 
released  the  lower  jaws  of  their  horses  from  their  lariats, 
and  permitted  them  to  stroll  at  will  over  the  green  sward, 
while  they  lazily  reposed  in  the  sun.  The  squaws  went 
out  to  gather  fuel  and  perform  such  labor  as  usually  falls 
to  the  male  portion  of  humanity. 

Feeling  some  misgivings  as  to  the  reception  I  might  re 
ceive  at  the  hands  of  Mangus  Colorado,  I  could  not  refrain 
from  asking  Cochise,  in  as  nonchalant  a  manner  as  possi 
ble,  what  Mangus  Colorado  would  say  to  see  a  white  man 
so  quietly  domiciled  in  his  village. 

"Oh!"  said  Cochise,  ."I  sent  him  word  as  soon  as  I 
knew  it  was  he,  and  you  know  too,  he  is  the  'white  man's 
friend.'  " 

The  barking  of  hundreds  of  curs,  the  shouting  of  braves, 
with  the  shrill  voices  of  the  women,  now  announced  the 
appearance,  on  the  top  of  the  bluff,  of  about  thirty  warriors. 

Under  the  circumstances,  I  thought  it  best  to  remain  out 
of  sight  as  much  as  possible  until  such  time  as  Mangus 


118 


HIS  FRIENDSHIP  SECURED. 


should  in  some  way  evince  a  knowledge  of  my  presence. 
This  he  shortly  did  by  visiting  my  hut,  and,  extending  his 
hand,  said,  in  Spanish,  "Good  day!  Gim  me  'bacca!' 

After  shaking  hands  with  him,  I  presented  him  with  some 
chewing   tobacco,  also  a   small   bale   of   smoking    tobacco, 


MEETING   OF   MANGTJS    COLORADO,    COCHISE,    AND   THE   AUTHOR. 

which  latter  present  not  only  won  his  good-will,  but  secured 
his  friendship. 

It  was  with  no  small  degree  ot  curiosity  that  I  regarded 
this  great  chief.  lie  was,  indeed,  as  noble  a  specimen  of 
the  Indian  race  as  I  had  ever  seen.  More  than  six  feet  in 


A  BLOODY  TROPHY.  119 

height,  straight  as  an  arrow,  his  physique  splendid;  his 
long  black  hair  hung  loosely  about  his  shoulders,  and  was 
profusely  ornamented  with  eagle  feathers;  his  face  was 
painted  with  vermilion  and  ochre,  while  his  sides  were 
striped  with  green.  Upon  his  feet  were  a  pair  of  richly 
wrought  moccasins.  A  heavy  red  Mackinaw  blanket  hung 
from  his  shoulders ,  and  was  fastened  at  the  waist  by  a  silk 
sash  that  evidently  had  once  belonged  to  some  officer  of  the 
army.  His  only  weapon  was  a  spear,  the  head  made  of 
obsidian,  attached  by  deer  sinews  to  a  pole  about  eight  feet 
long.  Altogether,  he  presented  a  very  picturesque  appear 
ance,  and  received  the  homage  paid  him  by  his  people  with 
much  native  dignity. 

To  the  lance  of  one  of  the  party  was  fastened  what  I  at 
first  supposed  to  be  a  flag  of  truce ;  but  a  closer  examination 
revealed  the  fact  that  it  was  a  little  child's  dress,  elaborately 
embroidered,  and  of  exquisite  make  and  material.  Ex 
tending  it  to  me,  all  blood-stained  as  it  was,  he  signified 
by  signs  that  the  little  one  who  had  worn  this  beautiful 
tribute  of  a  mother's  affection,  had  been  ruthlessly  murdered 
by  the  same  barbarous  weapon  which  he  held  in  his  hand, 
and  its  soul  sent  to  the  "Great  Spirit." 

The  sight  of  this  trophy  was  anything  but  an  assuring 
one  to  me,  and  I  at  once  resolved  that,  as  soon  as  circum 
stances  should  permit,  I  would  leave  the  Apaches  and  their 
home.  Cochise  informed  me  that  the  plunder  of  the  expe- 


120  PREPARATIONS  FOR    THE  FEAST. 

dition  amounted  to  thirty  head  of  cattle,  fifty  mules,  sixteen 
ponies,  and  six  scalps,  which,  he  took  particular  pains  to 
impress  upon  me,  were  Mexican  scalps.  He  also  told  me 
that  there  was  to  be  a  grand  feast  and  scalp-dance  in  honor 
of  their  recent  successful  raid,  and  that  it  would  be  advisa 
ble  for  me  to  be  present  at  the  ceremonies;  that  I  was 
perfectly  safe;  that  no  one  would  harm  me;  that  his  tribe 
were  not  thieves,  but  Apaches. 

Unsatisfactory  as  these  assurances  were,  I  consoled  myself 
as  best  I  could,  and  accepted  his  invitation  with  expressions 
of  pleasure  which  I  was  far  from  experiencing. 

I  spent  the  greater  portion  of  the  day  in  strolling  about 
the  rancheria,  visiting  the  huts,  and  conversing  with  those 
who  understood  Spanish.  From  them  I  gathered  some  in 
formation  concerning  the  surrounding  country.  I  ascer 
tained  that  the  village  contained  nut  far  from  seven  hundred 
inhabitants,  and  that  the  home  of  Mangus  Colorado  was 
situated  nearly  a  league  to  the  westward,  where  he  lived, 
surrounded  by  about  one  hundred  of  his  braves  and  their 
families.  That  no  white  man  had  ever  before  visited  the 
ranchena.  That  the  country  around  abounded  in  game, 
and  that  large  quantities  of  (oro)  gold  were  to  be  found  in 
the  canons  and  gulches  about  five  leagues  to  the  north  of 
them. 

Seeing  that  a  crowd  had  gathered  in  the  lower  portion 
of  the  village,  I  walked  towards  it,  and  saw  a  number  of 


CRUELTY  TO  ANIMALS.  121 

the  braves  engaged  in  throwing  a  mule,  which  they  had 
lassoed.  Inquiry  revealed  the  fact  that  they  were  about 
procuring  the  meat  for  their  feast.  After  throwing  the 
animal  and  securely  tying  his  feet,  two  of  these  devils 
incarnate  then  advanced  and  commenced  with  knives  to  cut 
the  meat  from  the  thighs  and  fleshy  parts  of  the  animal  in 
large  chunks,  while  the  poor  creature  uttered  the  most 
terrible  cries.  After  cutting  the  meat  clean  to  the  bone, 
they  proceeded  to  pierce  the  jugular  vein,  thus  ending  his 
misery,  the  squaws  catching  the  blood  in  huge  gourds. 

I  afterwards  learned  that  this  process  was  resorted  to 
from  the  fact  that  the  meat  taken  from  a  live  animal  was 
considered  more  tender. 

The  blood  was  fed  to  the  children  to  make  them  brave, 
and  was  also  considered  an  especial  delicacy  for  seasoning 
their  stews.  After  witnessing  this  scene,  it  may  be  super 
fluous  to  say  that  1  fouud  myself  too  demoralized  to 
require  any  further  sustenance  of  that  kind,  and  sought  the 
retirement  of  my  hut,  convinced  that  fasting  is  often  more 
conducive  to  health  than  feasting,  and  that  the  events  of 
one  day  in  an  Apache  village  rivalled,  in  all  that  was  thrill 
ing  and  sensational,  the  every-day  occurrences  of  a  civilized 
city  like  the  great  metropolis  of  our  land. 

My  meditations  were  somewhat  unceremoniously  dis 
turbed  by  the  entrance  of  Cochise,  who  came  to  say  to  me 
that  Mangus  Colorado  desired  my  presence  at  the  festival. 
16 


122  HORRIBLE  SIGHT. 

Declaring  my  indisposition  and  utter  inability  to  enjoy 
the  ceremonies,  and  respectfully  declining  the  invitation,  I 
was  informed  by  Cochise  that  it  would  give  great  offence 
should  I  fail  to  attend,  though  I  was  not  expected  to  take 
any  part  in  the  festivities.  Recognizing  the  force  of  his 
argument,  I  gave  a  reluctant  consent,  and  prepared  to 
accompany  him,  conscious  all  the  while,  however,  that  the 
wish  nearest  my  heart  was  to  be  safe  at  home. 

We  soon  came  to  a  level  spot  in  the  lowei  part  of  the 
valley,  where  we  found  Mangus  Colorado  in  all  the  glory  of 
eagle  feathers,  vermilion,  and  grease.  He  was  seated  on  a 
blanket  spread  upon  the  ground.  Motioning  me  to  a  seat 
beside  him,  he  extended  a  huge  hand  with  finger-nails  like 
eagle's  claws,  saying,  in  atone  of  voice  that  was  intended  to 
be  winning  and  soft,  "Gim  me  bacca."  To  which  request  I 
responded  by  placing  in  his  hand  my  last  piece  of  navy 
plug,  which  he  at  once  conveyed  to  his  dirty  mouth  with  a 
most  expressive  grunt  of  satisfaction. 

Accepting  the  position  assigned  me,  1  prepared  to  wit 
ness  a  scene  which  I  was  confident  would  fill  me  with  aver 
sion  and  disgust.  Six  braves  now  advanced,  and  with  no 
gmall  display  of  pride  planted  a  lance  near  the  camp-fire, 
which  was  burning  in  front  of  us,  and  over  which  hung  a 
huge  camp-kettle,  steaming  furiously,  reminding  me  forci 
bly  of  the  witch-scene  in  Macbeth.  From  the  lance  hung 
several  objects,  which,  in  the  dim,  uncertain  light,  I  took 


AN   UNEARTHLY  DANCE.  123 

to  be  tassels,  but  which  proved  to  be  trophies  of  the  raid. 
Two  of  these  scalps  had  attached  to  them  long,  flowing 
tresses,  which  clearly  denominated  the  murdered  ones  to 
uive  been  women.  It  was  a  horrid  sight,  and  I  wished 
myself  well  out  of  it. 

By  this  time  the  moon  was  shining  brightly,  illuminating 
tne  valley  around  us  and  the  bluffs  beyond,  giving  to  them 
a  strange,  phantom-like  appearance,  that  was  greatly  en 
hanced  by  the  faint  flicker  of  a  hundred  camp-fires,  which 
cast  a  sort  of  lurid  glare  over  the  dusky  forms  flitting 
about. 

Occasionally  a  bright  flame  shot  high  into  the  air,  and 
brought  into  bold  relief  the  line  of  bluffs  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  stream,  giving  to  them  the  semblance  of  being 
covered  wTith  an  army  of  misshapen  giants. 

Some  twenty  squaws  now  made  their  appearance,  dressed 
a  la  Apache,  their  coarse  black  hair  hanging  unkempt  about 
them.  Forming  a  circle  around  the  fire  and  lance,  they 
commenced  swaying  their  bodies  to  the  sound  of  two  drums 
that  were  beaten  by  some  of  the  men,  while  others  uttered 
a  low,  monotonous  chant,  keeping  time  with  a  kind  of  rattle 
made  of  gourds,  containing  small  stones,  bits  of  bone,  etc. 
As  the  drums  were  beaten  faster  and  faster,  the  noise  of 
the  rattles  became  more  furious,  which,  mingling  with  the 
sharp,  shrill  tones  of  the  squaws,  made  the  most  infernal 
din  imaginable.  Suddenly  one  of  the  old  hags  snatched 


124  PANDEMONIUM  LET  LOOSE. 

from  the  boiling  kettle  a  piece  of  mule  meat,  and  holding 
it  all  steaming  in  her  skinny  hands  towards  the  scalps,  as 
though  in  derision,  seized  it  between  her  teeth,  and  again 
joined  in  the  dance,  keeping  time  to  the  music. 

This  disgusting  pantomime  was  repeated  by  each  one  of 
the  repulsive  old  creatures,  who,  by  this  time,  were  whirling 
about  in  the  most  frenzied  manner,  thus  celebrating  the 
prowess  of  their  husbands  and  sons,  who  had  so  recently 
returned  from  their  cruel  and  cowardly  raid  into  Sonora. 

Continuing  this  demoniacal  dance  for  more  than  an  hour, 
their  strength  finally  began  to  fail  them.  The  warriors,  by 
whose  bravery  these  scalps  had  been  taken,  now  advanced, 
and  seating  themselves  in  a  circle  around  the  camp-fire, 
began  their  share  in  the  entertainment.  The  scalp-pole  was 
handed  round  by  the  oldest  of  the  squaws,  and  as  it  was 
presented  to  each  brave,  he  signified  his  contempt  for  his 
enemies  by  spitting  upon  it,  at  the  same  time  uttering  a 
low  grunt  of  satisfaction.  Each  was  then  helped  to  a 
bountiful  supply  of  the  boiling  meat  with  which  the  kettle 
was  filled. 

During  this  time  the  music  was  kept  up  unceasingly, 
making  an  uproar  that  would  have  done  credit  to  Pandemo 
nium.  Sick  and  tired,  I  signified  to  Cochise  my  desire  to 
retire.  He  accompanied  me  back  to  my  hut,  where  once 
again  creeping  into  my  blanket,  I  soon  found  repose  from 
the  exciting  scenes  of  the  day  and  evening.  Need  I  say 


SATISFIED   CURIOSITY.  125 

that  upon  reflection  I  became  satisfied  that  Charles  Sprague 
was  entirely  wrong  when  he  said  in  his  beautiful  poem  on 
" Curiosity,"  that  "it  came  from  Heaven."  I  didn't  be 
lieve  it  that  night,  and  I  doubt  if  I  do  now.  Then,  I  should 
not  have  hesitated  a  moment  to  declare  my  conviction  that  it 
originated  in  a  place  supposed  to  be  the  antipodes  of  heaven. 

The  next  morning,  after  partaking  of  a  breakfast  of  pern- 
mi  can,*  I  strolled  out  into  the  village,  hoping  that  the 
season  of  dances  was  over. 

Had  I  then  known  that  not  two  years  before,  this  same 
band  of  Apaches,  in  this  very  ranchena,  had  sacrificed  a 
young  Mexican  girl,  it  would  in  no  way  have  served  to 
quiet  my  apprehensions.  She  was  offered  as  a  sacrifice  to 
propitiate  the  Great  Spirit,  whose  wrath  had  manifested 
itself  by  visiting  upon  them  the  small-pox. 

After  fattening  her  for  several  months,  keeping  her  very 
quiet,  and  in  ignorance  of  her  fate,  they  brought  her,  on 
the  morning  when  the  sacrifice  was  to  be  made,  to  the 
place  of  torture.  Here,  placing  her  between  two  trees,  they 
suspended  her  by  ropes  tied  around  her  wrists,  so  that  her 
feet,  which  were  firmly  fastened  together,  were  about  three 

*  The  flesh  of  buffalo  or  deer,  dried  until  it  becomes  hard  and  brittle,  and 
then  pounded  fine,  and  put  into  bags  made  of  buffalo  hide  or  deer-skin,  the 
tallow  being  melted  and  poured  over  it,  and  the  whole  mass  pressed  together, 
when  it  soon  becomes  as  hard  as  a  stone.  This  is  a  favorite  and  convenient 
method  of  carrying  meat  where  game  is  scarce  in  the  Apache  Country. 


126  TORTURE    OF  A  MEXICAN  GIRL. 

feet  from  the  ground.  A  fire  was  then  kindled  beneath 
her,  and  as  the  flames  reached  her  flesh,  scream  after  scream 
issued  from  the  lips  of  the  poor  victim.  One  after  another 
of  these  brave  Apaches  plucked  a  burning  brand  from  the 
fire  and  applied  it  to  the  quivering  flesh  of  the  wretched 
girl,  till  finally  death  released  her  from  her  terrible  suffer 
ings.  The  body  was  then  hacked  to  pieces  with  sharp 
stones,  the  pieces  burned  upon  the  fire,  and  the  ashes  scat 
tered  to  the  winds,  in  order  to  purify  the  air,  and  thus 
appease  the  wrath  of  the  malign  spirit. 

I  fully  realized  the  truth  of  the  old  adage,  " Where  igno 
rance  is  bliss,  'tis  folly  to  be  wise,"  upon  hearing  a  narra 
tion  of  the  above  facts,  from  an  old  Arizoniau,  more  than 
a  year  after  my  return  from  the  Apache  rancheria. 


CHAPTER    IX. 


T  the  time  I  left  the  Apache 
Pass,  I  had  some  idea  that  a 
trip  into  the  Navajoe  country, 
at  least  as  far  as  the  seven 
Moquis  cities,  might,  possi 
bly,  be  a  desirable  one;  and 
that  it  might  be  successfully 
made  from  the  Apache  ran- 
cheria,  especially  as  Cochise 
had  informed  me  that  these 
Indians  were  at  peace  with  the  Apaches,  and  that  he  could 
easily  act  as  guide  through  the  country. 

My  visit  to  the  rancheria,  however,  had  completely  extin 
guished  every  desire  for  further  explorations;  and,  like  John 
Phoenix,  in  the  San  Francisco  Female  Convention,  my  only 
desire  was  to  "go  home." 

Still,  curiosity  prompted  me  to  question  Cochise  concern 
ing  the  country  and  its  people;  and  he  informed  me  that 

(127) 


128  A  NOVEL    OPERATION. 

there  were  then  residing  at  the  rancheria  two  Navajoes, 
who  could  give  me  all  the  information  I  desired  concerning 
them. 

Requesting  Cochise  to  bring  them  to  me  on  the  morrow, 
I  composed  myself  to  sleep,  with  as  good  a  grace  as  possi 
ble,  after  the  events  of  the  day. 

The  sun  was  several  hours  high  when  I  repaired  to  my 
dressing-room  the  next  morning.  There  was  quite  a  crowd 
of  women  and  children  present,  who  witnessed  the  spectacle 
of  washing  face  and  hands  with  great  gusto.  I  was  quite 
convinced  that  these  children  of  nature  were  entirely  unused 
to  any  such  sight,  as  much  from  their  own  personal  appear 
ance,  as  from  their  looks  of  wonderment  at  seeing  me  per 
form  my  ablutions. 

Untutored  children  of  the  Darwinian  theory !  They  could 
gaze  at  the  marvels  of  nature  spread  around  them  with  such 
unsparing  prodigality;  could  see  a  white  woman  fiendishly 
tortured,  and  made  to  suffer  the  most  horrible  indignities, 
or  a  white  man  brutally  murdered,  without  a  sign  of  emo 
tion  upon  their  faces;  but  the  sight  of  a  man  washing  his 
face  and  hands  almost  convulsed  them  with  laughter. 

After  eating  my  breakfast,  I  spread  my  blanket  beneath 
the  shade  of  a  pine-tree  that  grew  near  by,  and,  lighting 
my  pipe,  proposed  to  enjoy  myself  as  well  as  possible  under 
the  circumstances. 

Cochise  soon  made  his  appearance,  bringing  with  him  aD 


A  NAVAJOE    VISITOR.  12a 

old  man  fully  sixty  years  of  age,  and  saying,  abruptly, 
"  He  re's  a  Navajoe,"  turned  away. 

The  old  man  squatted  himself  upon  the  grass,  and  draw 
ing  his  knees  almost  up  to  his  chin,  seemed  to  await  my 
pleasure. 

Finding  him  able  to  speak  Spanish  pretty  well^  and  posted 
on  all  matters  pertaining  to  his  people,  I  gleaned  from  him 
much  interesting  and  valuable  information,  of  which  I  will 
give  the  reader  the  benefit,  hoping  it  may  amuse  and  in 
struct  him  as  much  as  it  did  me;  for  but  little  is  known 
concerning  this  once  formidable,  but  now  nearly  extinct, 
race  of  Indians.  fc 

He  said  that  the  Navajoe  country  extended  from  the  Rio 
Grande  to  the  Colorado  of  the  West,  and  was  about  one 
hundred  and  twenty-five  miles  northwest  of  the  Apache 
village.  That  the  Moquis  lived  in  the  Navajoe  country, 
and  their  houses  were  built  of  stone,  and  situated  upon 
the  tops  of  high  mesas,  but  that  the  Navajoes  knew  little 
about  them. 

The  Navajoes  have  no  fixed  residence,  but  wander  at  will 
over  the  country,  stopping  wherever  night  overtakes  them. 
They  number  about  twelve  thousand  souls,  and  of  late  years 
have  not  been  much  inclined  to  the  war-path,  as  they  are 
growing  very  rich. 

They  have  large  herds  of  cattle,  also  many  fine  horses 
and  mules;  but  their  sheep  are  by  far  the  most  valuable 
17 


130  LEGENDS    OF  HIS    TRIBE. 

portion  of  their  possessions.  From  the  wool  of  these  the} 
manufacture  a  very  superior  blanket,  which  is  famous  OD 
the  frontier.  So  closely  is  it  woven,  that  one  may  carry 
water  in  it  all  day  with  no  fear  of  its  leaking  through.  It 
takes  a  woman  a  year  to  weave  one. 

They  dye  their  wool  red,  black,  purple,  brown,  blue, 
yellow,  and  green,  the  dyes  being  made  from  flowers,  roots, 
and  the  bark  of  trees.  The  red  dye  is  made  from  the  flower 
of  the  sumach,  with  a  small  root  that  grows  near  it.  Yel 
low  is  made  by  boiling  together  certain  flowers,  and  blue  in 
the  same  way.  Black  is  obtained  from  the  bark  of  the 
maple  and  butternut  trees.  They  get  a  kind  of  yellowish- 
brown  color  from  the  oxide  of  iron,  which  abounds  in  the 
mountains. 

When  in  their  wanderings  they  come  across  a  fine  range 
for  pasturing  their  animals,  they  build  little  huts,  and  re 
main  for  months  in  the  same  location.  Here  they  plant 
corn,  beans,  and  sometimes  wheat  and  pumpkins,  of  which 
latter  they  are  very  fond.  A  kind  of  wild  potato  grows  all 
over  the  country.  Many  of  the  Indians  have  herds  of  five 
or  six  hundred  horses,  worth  from  sixty  to  eighty  dollars 
apiece.  They  are  expert  horsemen,  and  spend  much  of 
their  time  on  horseback. 

The  country  is  well-supplied  with  grass.  Bears,  black- 
tailed  deer,  antelope,  wolves,  prairie-dogs,  wild-cats,  and 
squirrels  are  very  plentiful. 


NEW   VERSION  OF   THE   CREATION.  131 

Horse-racing  and  gambling  are  the  only  amusements  of 
the  people. 

They  have  a  religion  peculiar  to  themselves — worshipping 
the  Great  Spirit,  who,  according  to  their  belief,  made  the 
Navajoes  the  first  occupants  of  the  earth;  and  in  moving 
their  camp  from  place  to  place,  they  always  carry  with  them 
a  brand  of  fire,  which  singular  custom  the  old  man  explained 
in  this  wise:  In  the  beginning,  the  Great  Spirit  created 
twelve  Navajoes — six  men  and  six  women.  They  were 
confined  in  the  middle  of  a  great  mountain,  with  all  the 
animals  created.  They  emerged  from  the  earth  in  the  fol 
lowing  manner:  — 

The  locust  and  the  badger  aided  them  in  boring  through 
the  ground.  The  locust  bored  the  first  hole,  but  finding  it 
too  small,  called  to  his  assistance  the  badger;  and  by  their 
united  efforts,  they  soon  had  an  aperture  sufficiently  large 
for  the  Navajoes  to  come  forth.  The  badger  preceded  them, 
an  1,  springing  out,  he  lighted  upon  the  bottom  of  a  lake 
in  the  Montezuma  Valley,  and  his  fore  legs  sinking  into  the 
mire,  were  covered  with  black  mud,  and  remained  black  to 
this  day. 

No  sooner  were  the  Navajoes  and  all  the  animals  out  of 
the  mountain,  than  fire  and  smoke  began  to  issue  from 
the  hole  whence  they  had  emerged.  This  so  frightened 
them  that  they  went  down  into  the  valleys;  but  shortly 
after  they  discovered  that  they  needed  fire,  and  the  coyote, 


132  FIRE-WORSHIPPERS. 

or  wolf,  the  bat,  and  the  squirrel  were  sent  out  to  proc-ure 
it.  They  proceeded  to  the  mountain,  from  which  they  had 
so  recently  issued,  and  the  wolf,  fastening  some  slivers  of 
gummy  wood  to  his  tail,  held  it  over  the  crater  until  the 
wood  became  ignited.  The  bat  fanned  the  fire  into  a 
flame  by  darting  hither  and  thither,  and  then  the  squirrel 
conveyed  it  to  the  Navajoes. 

To  this  day  not  one  of  the  Navajoes  can  be  persuaded  to 
taste  the  flesh  of  either  wolf  or  squirrel,  or  to  move  their 
camp  without  taking  with  them  a  brand  of  fire. 

Day  and  night  were  brought  about  by  a  difference  in  opin 
ion  among  the  animals.  Those  which  preferred  day  are 
still  permitted  to  wander  by  daylight,  while  those  which 
chose  "darkness  rather  than  light,"  travel  by  night. 

This  account  of  the  creation  is  fully  believe  I  by  all  the 
Navajoes.  At  this  period  in  the  old  man's  narration,  Co- 
chise  came  to  inquire  when  I  desired  to  return  to  the  Pass. 

I  replied,  without  a  moment's  hesitation,  "In  the  mom- 
ing,  of  course." 

His  "esta  buenno"  was  a  most  welcome  sound  to  my  ears, 
I  can  assure  you;  and  requesting  him  to  bring  the  animals 
for  my  inspection  before  we  started,  I  wandered  up  to  a 
spot  near  by,  where  a  number  of  squaws  were  engaged  in 
dressing  deer-skins;  as  the  Apaches  are  reputed  to  have 
the  best  method  of  tanning  skins  known  among  the  Indians, 
I  watched  the  process  with  no  little  curiosity. 


SKILL   IN  TANNING.  133 

The  flesh  was  first  carefully  removed  from  the  hide  with 
a  sharpened  bone,  and  the  hair  shaved  off  with  a  sharp 
knife.  It  was  then  hung  up  to  dry  for  a  few  hours,  and 
afterwards  thoroughly  washed  with  ashes  and  water,  to  re 
move  the  grease,  and  then  dipped  in  water  containing  the 
brains  of  a  deer.  Next  it  was  boiled,  and  then  stretched 
on  poles  to  dry,  after  which  it  was  again  wet  and  scraped, 
•ind  finally  dried  slowly  by  a  fire. 

This  process  is  repeated  three  times,  when,  if  the  skin 
should  prove  hard,  it  is  drawn  swiftly  over  a  piece  of  small 
rope,  the  squaw  pulling  it  as  hard  as  she  can,  which  softens 
it  nicely.  It  is  then  smoked  for  a  couple  of  hours  over  a 
fire  built  of  decayed  wood,  which  is  placed  in  a  hole  dug  in 
the  ground.  Then  it  is  ready  for  use. 

It  is  not  an  uncommon  occurrence  for  the  Apaches  to  have 
the  skins  which  are  brought  in  in  the  morning,  made  into 
moccasins  before  night,  and  very  good  ones  too. 

Cochise  now  brought  up  the  animals,  and  I  was  gratified 
to.  find  them  in  as  fine  condition  as  could  be  desired.  The 
trip  had  evidently  been  a  beneficial  one,  to  them  at  least. 

liequesting  Cochise  to  notify  Mangus  Colorado  that  I 
should  leave  in  the  morning,  he  at  once  dispatched  an  Indian 
with  the  message,  which  had  the  effect  of  bringing  Mangus 
himself  to  visit  me,  arrayed,  as  usual,  in  all  the  glory  of 
ochre,  vermilion,  and  eagle  feathers. 

After  a   shake  of  the   hand,  and   the   usual  request  for 


134  A  MODEST  REQUEST. 

"bacca,"  he  seated  himself  on  a  blanket,  and  began  to 
plead  his  poverty  in  such  a  pathetic  manner  that  I  soon 
saw  I  should  be  obliged  to  submit  to  a  forced  loan. 
He  shortly  preferred  the  request  that  I  should  present  him 
with  my  riding  mule,  as  a  token  of  the  great  esteem  he 
entertained  for  me. 

This  honor  I  emphatically  declined,  assuring  him  that  I 
could  ride  no  other,  and  should  fail  to  reach  home  should 
I  accede  to  his  request.  Recognizing  the  force  of  my  argu 
ment,  he  now  proposed  to  compromise,  by  taking  another; 
of  my  animals. 

I  remonstrated,  telling  him  I  needed  them  all,  and  mast 
have  them,  but  that  I  would  send  him  by  Cochise,  when  he 
returned,  red  blankets,  brass  wire,  and  tobacco,  with  which 
promise  he  seemed  so  well  satisfied  that  I  began  to  think 
I  had  such  a  persuasive  way  with  me,  that  my  services 
would  be  invaluable  to  the  government  as  a  treaty-maker 
with  the  Indians,  —  a  fact,  however,  that  the  government 
has  not  as  yet  seemed  to  appreciate. 

'After  a  few  complimentary  shakes  of  the  hand,  Mangus 
assured  me  that  Cochise  would  see  me  to  the  Pass  in 
safety,  and  that  he  would  send  five  braves  with  him  as  a 
guard,  an  honor  that  I  at  once  declined. 

Reminding  me  not  to  forget  the  "big  presents,"  Mangus 
bade  me  farewell,  much  to  my  delight  and  gratification, 
and  I  at  once  extended  congratulations  to  a  certain  part}1 


MYSTERIOUS  DISAPPEARANCE.  135 

on  his  success  as  a  diplomat.  Cochise  departed  with  Man- 
gus,  and  after  an  absence  of  a  couple  of  hours,  returned, 
saying,  that  he  could  have  the  animals  on  hand  early  in  the 
morning,  and  advising  me  to  retire  very  soon,  so  as  to 
"sleep  much,"  which  advice  I  followed.  Quieted  by 
(he  thought  of  a  speedy  return  to  the  Pass,  I  soon  sank  into 
a  profound  slumber,  such  as  I  had  not  experienced  before 
since  my  advent  into  Apachedom. 

I  was  aroused  early  by  Cochise,  with  the  pleasant  in 
formation  that  one  of  my  mules  had  mysteriously  disap 
peared,  nor  could  "hide  or  hair"  of  him  be  found  any 
where. 

I  knew  it  was  useless  to  attempt  to  recover  him,  and 
mentally  promising  myself,  that  if  I  once  got  safely  away, 
Mangus  should  never  receive  the  presents  I  had  promised 
him,  I  determined  to  set  out  at  once  with  my  four  remain 
ing  animals. 

Declining  firmly  all  offers  of  trade,  I  made  a  hasty  break 
fast,  and  fully  an  hour  before  sunrise  found  me  toiling  up 
one  ?f  the  steep  paths  worn  into  the  face  of  the  bluff  that 
environs  the  Apache  rancheria. 

Our  journey  lay  over  the  same  parched  alkali  country,  the 
same  arid  desert  waste,  unrelieved  by  the  sight  of  a  green 
thing,  which  I  had  crossed  when  going  to  the  village. 

About  the  middle  of  the  afternoon  we  reached  the  only 
camping-ground  before  we  came  to  the  canon  we  were  to 


136  MAGNIFICENT  SUNRISE. 

cross.  After  a  hearty  supper  of  peminican  and  atole,  and 
watering  the  mules  from  the  contents  of  one  of  the  leathern 
bottles,  I  wrapped  myself  in  my  blanket,  and  enjoyed  a  com 
fortable  night's  rest. 

In  the  morning,  as  I  watched  the  rising  sun  gild  the 
grand  and  lofty  summits  of  the  mountain  ranges  all  around, 
I  could  not  but  wish  that  some  one  was  near  who  could  ap 
preciate  with  me  the  soul-inspiring  sight  that  met  my  gaze 
whichever  way  I  turned. 

I  never  before  saw  anything  so  truly  grand  and  wonderful ! 
It  scarcely  seemed  possible  that  the  magnificent  old  castles, 
looking  so  proudly  down  upon  us,  with  their  towers  and 
spires  and  battlements  lighted  up  with  such  splendid  effect 
by  the  morning  sun,  were  but  a  bleak  and  barren  mass  of 
rock,  over  which  the  foot  of  civilized  man  had  never  passed 
since  its  creation,  or  that  the  only  notes  breathed  forth  from 
the  gigantic  pipes  of  that  mighty  organ  were  those  that 
woke  in  thunder-peals  the  solitude  of  the  vast  desert  around 
us,  responsive  only  to  the  touch  of  God's  own  hand  upon 
its  massive  key-board. 

I  tried  to  imagine  the  convulsive  throes  of  old  Mother 
Eaith  at  the  creation  of  these  stupendous  marvels;  and 
wondered  how  many  centuries  would  elapse  before  the  hand 
of  man,  and  the  providence  of  God  combined,  would  cause 
"the  desert  to  blossom  as  the  rose," —  when  my  dreams 
ivere  disturbed  by  two  sfcort  words,  calculated  to  force 


JIMMY  CAPTUCED   BY  THE   INDIANS. 


BEHOLD!    A    CAMP!  137 

me  to  leave  the  solution  of  these  questions  to  old  Time 
himself. 

Cochise  speaking,  said,  "Injun  comin'." 

I  immediately  sprang  to  my  feet,  and  looking  in  the 
direction  designated  by  him,  discovered  a  camp  some  five 
miles  away,  apparently  on  the  verge  of  the  canon  we  were 
to  cross,  and  on  our  immediate  course. 

Cochise  offered  to  reconnoitre,  and  I  made  not  the  slight 
est  objection  to  his  proposition. 

He  returned  shortly  after,  with  the  information  that  there 
were  four  Indians  and  two  white  men  in  camp  there. 

This  convinced  me  that  it  must  be  Dr.  Parker,  who  had 
returned,  and,  finding  me  gone  on  the  expedition,  had  in 
duced  Jimmy  to  join  him,  and  the  two  had  followed  on  my 
trail. 

We  immediately  started  on,  and  soon  proved  tho  truth 
of  my  surmises.  It  was  Dr.  Parker  and  Jimmy,  accom 
panied  by  four  friendly  Apaches,  who  had  started  out  to 
find  me.  We  were  delighted  to  meet,  and  I  was  especially 
pleased  as  soon  as  I  ascertained  that  the  doctor's  larder  was 
much  better  stocked  with  "creature  comforts"  than  was 
[nine. 

Nothing  could  exceed   Jimmy's  joy  at  finding   me.     He 

capered   and   danced    like   the  wild  Irishman  that  he  was, 

upsetting  the  cofl'ee-pot  in  bis  enthusiastic  demonstrations, 

and  nearly  putting  out  the  fire,  which  he  had  been  "a  wake 

18 


138  RELATING    THEIR  ADVENTURES. 

gather-in'  the  metherials  for!"  a  statement  that  was  not 
verified  by  the  strength  of  the  coffee. 

While  at  breakfast,  the  doctor  entertained  me  with  an 
account  of  Jimmy's  journey  through  the  canon,  and  a  most 
nmusing  one  it  was,  too,  especially  as  his  narrative  was 
frequently  interrupted  by  remarks  from  Jimmy,  in  explana 
tion  of  some  scene,  which  it  would  take  the  pencil  of  a  Nast 
to  properly  portray. 

The  doctor  said  that  Jimmy  had  protested  most  earnestly 
against  "interin'  that  crack,"  as  he  termed  the  canon,  main 
taining  most  stoutly  that  "  'twas  jist  a  crack  in  the  airth, 
and  thet  by  walkin'  a  little  way  down  he  could  aisy  find  a 
place  where  he  could  git  acrost." 

After  much  persuasion,  however,  Jimmy  was  induced  to 
follow  the  guide. 

Proceeding  some  distance  down  the  trail,  Jimmy  noticed 
the  increasing  darkness,  and  chancing  to  cast  his  eyes  up 
wards,  the  narrow  band  of  light  far  above  him,  relieved 
only  by  the  ragged  edges  of  the  canon,  gave  him  such  a 
singular  feeling,  that  he  yelled  loudly  to  the  doctor,  who 
was  some  distance  in  advance  of  him. 

Of  course  the  sides  of  the  canon  echoed  the  cry,  and  as 
he  heard  the  echo  repeating  "Docther,  Docther,"  as  it  was 
carried  from  side  to  side,  from  point  to  point,  from  crag  to 
crag,  with  a  distinctness  and  fidelity  that  was  truly  won 
derful,  his  excited  imagination  led  him  to  suppose  it  to  bo 


POOR  JIMMY'S  FRIGHT.  13i> 

the  despairing  wail  of  human  souls,  who,  during  some  ter 
rible  convulsion  of  nature,  had,  like  "proud  Knorab's 
troop,"  mentioned  iu  the  old  New  England  primer,  been 
swallowed  up,  while  he  believed  himself  approaching  n 
similar  fate. 

Rushing  headlong  towards  the  doctor,  he  besought  him, 
in  the  most  agonizing  tones,  to  "presarve  him  from  beiu' 
carried  among  thim  poor  divils  that  was  scraachin'  at 
him  so:';  nor  could  anything  the  doctor  said  reassure 
him. 

The  constantly-increasing  gloom,  together  with  the  ter 
rific  reverberations,  but  added  to  Jimmy's  fear  and  confu 
sion,  and  he  started  back,  swearing  that  "all  the  divils  in 
hell  shouldn't  carry  him  a  stip  further."  The  doctor's  calls 
only  accelerated  Jimmy's  footsteps,  and  finding  that  he  was 
really  determined  upon  returning,  he  was  obliged  to  send 
two  of  the  Indians  after  him,  with  instructions  to  bring  him 
back  at  all  hazards,  while  he  proceeded,  with  the  others, 
to  the  foot  of  the  canon,  where,  seating  himself  upon  a  huge 
granite  boulder,  he  waited  Jimmy's  appearance. 

Bethinking  himself  of  some  pitch-pine  which  was  in  his 
luggage,  he  proceeded  to  light  a  splinter,  that  he  might  see 
its  effect  upon  the  rocks  and  cliffs  and  fissures,  which  tow 
ered  far  above,  and  surrounded  him  on  all  sides. 

The  sight  terrified  even  the  doctor,  who  no  longer  won 
dered  at  Jimmy's  frantic  prayers  to  the  Virgin,  when  he 


HO 


ARIZONIAN  HADES. 


saw  the    lurid   glare   reflected   upon   the   broken  sides  and 
ragged  edges  of  this  terrible  abyss. 

The  sounds  now  indicated  the  near  approach  of  the  In 
dian^  and  Jimmy's  voice  was  distinctly  heard,  at  one  moment 
littering  prayers  for  protection,  and  the  next  cursing  roundly 


JIMMY  REFUSES  TO  "  INTER  "  THE  CKACK. 

those  who  had  him  in  charge;  for,  as  he  afterwards  said, 
"I  tho't  shure  that  they  wus  a  takin'  me  straight  down  to 
hell,  without  aither  the  absolution  of  the  praste,  or  the  sat 
isfaction  of  dyin'." 

The  loud  fries  of  Jimmy,  as  he  was  forced  down  the  steep 


JIMMY'S   BRAVERY.  141 

and  rugged  path,  were  terrifying  in  the  extreme;  so  much  so, 
that  even  the  usually  quiet  animals  manifested  symptoms 
of  intense  fear,  so  that  it  required  all  the  attention  of  the 

doctor  and  his  Indian  allies  to  keep  them  from  stampeding. 

• 

Jimmy  finally  made  his  appearance,  escorted  by  the  In 
dians,  in  a  most  pitiable  condition,  as  much  by  reason  of  his 
exertions  to  escape  from  his  captors,  as  from  the  terror 
which  the  strange  and  gloomy  surroundings  had  inspired 
within  him. 

On  reaching  the  bottom,  the  sight  of  Dr.  Parker  emerg 
ing  from  behind  a  huge  rock,  with  a  torch  in  his  hand,  so 
far  reassured  him,  and  he  declared,  "that  the  only  satisfac 
tion  he  filt  in  comin'  to  hell,  wus  in  findin'  the  docthor  there 
before  him." 

Kesuming  their  journey,  he  grew  much  bolder,  asserting, 
with  real  Irish  bravado,  that  he  had  only  been  "tistin'  tho 
narves  of  thim  bloody  Injuns.  An'  by  the  powers,  I  think 
them  intirely  narvous,  shure." 

But  I  have  no  intention  of  giving  you  a  detailed  account 
of  our  journey  back  to  the  Apache  Pass.  Suffice  it  to  say, 
we  crossed  the  canon  safely,  passed  over  the  same  desert 
waste,  hemmed  in  by  lofty  mountains,  and  guarded  by  gro 
tesque  and  misshapen  forms,  that  stood  like  grim  and  silent 
sentinels  keeping  watch  and  ward  in  these  solitudes. 

It  was  not  until  the  afternoon  of  the  fifth  day  that  we 
arrived  at  the  Pass. 


142  FAREWELL    TO   COCIIISE. 

After  a  hearty  supper,  and  a  good  night's  rest,  Cochise 
and  his  braves  were  dismissed,  laden  with  many  presents, 
not  one  of  which,  however,  was  intended  for  Mangus  Colo 
rado.  Cochise  received  the  lion's  share,  and  left  me  with 
many  assurances  of  his  esteem  and  regard. 

Of  late  years  Cochise  has  taken  to  the  war-path,  and  has 
proved  a  most  formidable  and  dangerous  enemy  to  the  white 
man  in  Arizona,  in  avenging  the  treacherous  manner  in 
which  the  chief  of  the  Apache  tribe,  Mangus  Colorado,  met 
his  death  at  the  hands  of  the  white  men  in  1863. 

Although  quite  conscious  of  the  failure  of  my  diplomatic 
interview  with  Mangus  Colorado  on  the  mule  question,  still 
I  console  myself  with  the  thought,  that  it  was  entirely  owing 
to  the  evident  mulish  disposition  of  the  Apaches,  rather 
than  to  any  lack  of  talent  on  my  part;  and  if  afterwards 
I  became  convinced  that  Cochise  stole  my  mule,  I  lay  the 
flattering  unction  to  my  soul,  that  it  was  by  the  express 
order,  and  for  the  sole  us^  and  behoof  of  Mangus  himself, 
and  that  the  idea  did  not  originate  with  my  old  guide, 
Cochise. 

At  the  present  time,  I  am  more  than  satisfied  with  my 
trip  and  its  results,  when  I  reflect  that,  without  doubt,  I 
am  the  only  white  man  who  ever  visited  the  rancheria  of 
the  Final  and  Tonto  Apaches,  near  the  head  waters  of  the 
Gila,  and  escaped  to  tell  the  tale. 


CHAPTER    X. 


jf  REST  of  two  days  at  the 
Apache  Pass,  and  we  started 
on  our  trip  to  Tucson,  and 
the  silver  mines  in  that  vicin 
ity.  I  do  not  propose  to 
enter  into  the  details  of  the 
journey,  for  had  it  not  been 
enlivened  by  Jimmy's  adven 
tures,  it  would  have  been 
utterly  devoid  of  incident  or 

interest.  No  more  dreary  and  uninteresting  country  can  be 
found  under  the  sun,  than  that  lying  between  the  Apache 
Pass  and  Tucson. 

The  principal  features  of  the  landscape  have  a  marked 
similarity.  The  peaks  of  the  Santa  Rita  and  Cerro  Colorado 
Mountains  loomed  up  in  all  their  gloomy  majesty  on  our 
right,  and  the  wonderful  purple  haze  with  which  the  dis 
tance  clothed  them,  was  a  grateful  relief  to  the  brassy 

(143) 


144  CHEAP  FCEL. 

sky  above  our  heads,  and  the  gray  alkali  of  the  plains 
around  us. 

On  our  left  the  peaks  of  the  Chiricahui  and  the  Three 
Sisters  lined  the  horizon,  while  far,  far  before  us  a  faint 
line  of  blue,  almost  indistinguishable  from  the  azure  of  the 
summer's  sky,  betrayed  the  location  of  the  San  Ignatio 
Mountains  of  Sonora. 

The  plains  around  us  were  covered  with  an  abundance  of 
cactus,  wild  sage,  grease  wood,  and  rnesquit  chaparral,  at 
once  the  curse  and  blessing  of  the  Arizona  rancheria;  for 
while  it  offers  an  almost  impenetrable  barrier  to  travellers 
over  the  plain,  it  furnishes  them  with  the  only  fuel  to  be 
found.  The  wood-chopper  of  Arizona  uses  only  a  spade, 
or  mattock,  in  laying  in  his  winter  supply  of  fire-wood,  for 
the  roots  of  the  mesquit  alone  furnish  it. 

The  second  day  of  oar  trip  gave  the  doctor  and  myself 
the  most  amusement,  as  well  as  the  most  vexation,  of  any 
day  during  the  journey. 

It  was  nearly  noon.  Jimmy  had  rid'den  on  ahead  of  the 
doctor  and  myself,  who  were  leisurely  driving  along,  enjoy 
ing  the  shade  afforded  by  the  canvas  covering  of  our  Con 
cord  wagon,  when  the  doctor  called  my  attention  to  a 
Norseman  far  away  to  our  right,  riding  at  breakneck  speed, 
in  a  course  which  I  knew  was  taking  him  directly  into  one 
of  the  worst  alkali  plains  on  the  whole  route. 

Wondering  who  it  was,  and  what  the  man's  object  could 


"  GREENHORN'S    LAKE."  145 

be,  for  we  knew  by  his  manner  of  riding  he  must  be  either 
a  Mexican  or  an  American,  the  doctor  and  myself  dreamily 
and  vaguely  speculated  upon  his  probable  fate,  until,  on 
arriving  at  the  top  of  a  slight  eminence,  we  discovered,  far 
beyond  the  solitary  figure  of  the  horseman,  a  mirage  of  the 
"Greenhorn's  Lake." 

There  it  was,  sparkling  and  beautiful  in  the  bright  sun 
shine,  with  its  white-capped  waves  lapping  the  shores, 
skirted  by  a  light  growth  of  forest  trees,  its  deep,  blue 
waters  affording  a  refreshing  relief  from  the  dusty  plain 
and  glaring  sunlight  with  which  we  were  surrounded,  when 
suddenly  it  occurred  to  us  that  it  was  Jimmy,  who  was  thus 
galloping  frantically  over  the  plain  in  pursuit  of  the  lake, 
which  to  all  appearance  was  only  a  mile  or  so  distant. 

We  immediately  discharged  our  revolvers,  hoping  that 
the  sound  would  attract  his  notice,  and  induce  him  to  return. 
Thinking  that  he  might  see  the  wagon,  and  give  up  his 
fruitless  chase,  we  waited  for  him  some  time.  As  he  did 
not  appear,  we  finally  decided  to  drive  on  slowly,  keeping 
a  sharp  lookout  in  the  direction  in  which  we  had  last  seen 
him.  It  was  not,  however,  until  nearly  five  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon,  that  we  discovered  him  slowly  following  us. 

As  he  came  up  with   us,  his   air   of   utter  dejection  told 

us  more  effectually  than  words  could  have  done,  that  Jimmy 

was  sadly  disappointed  and  completely  disheartened.     After 

overtaking  us,  he  rode  beside  our  wagon  for  some  distance, 

19 


146  A    WILD-GOOSE   CHASE. 

before  a  word  was  spoken  by  either  of  us,  when  I  remarked, 

4 'Well,  Jimmy,  where  have  you  been,  and  what  did  you 
go  after?" 

His  reply  was,  "Shure,  sir,  I  don't  know." 

"Who  gave  you  permission  to  ride  my  mule  as  I  saw 
you  riding  it  this  morning?" 

"Shure,  sir,  I  don't  know." 

" Where  were  you  going?" 

"Shure,  sir,  I  don't  know." 

"How  far  did  you  ride?" 

"Indade,  sir,  I  don't  know." 

"Well,  Jimmy,  what  is  the  matter,  and  what  do  you 
think?" 

"Indade,  sir,  I  don't  know."  Nor  could  other  answer 
than  this  be  obtained  from  him  to  any  question  we  might 
ask. 

In  truth,  Jimmy  seemed  so  utterly  dazed  and  bewildered, 
that  I  decided  to  say  nothing  more  on  the  subject,  well 
satisfied  that  erelong  he  would  voluntarily  unburden  his 
pent-up  feelings. 

It  was  quite  six  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  wnen  we  came 
to  the  dry,  sandy  bed  of  an  aroya,  that  seemed  to  come 
directly  from  the  range  of  Picatchos,  about  three  miles 
away  to  our  left.  As  the  grass  was  good,  and  the  banks 
very  high  and  steep,  we  concluded  to  encamp  for  the 
night,  and  not  attempt  to  cross  it  before  morning. 


ARTIFICIAL    WELLS.  147 

Our  mules  were  soon  enjoying  the  sweetness  of  the  glass 

around  us.     Our  supper  had  been  eaten,  and  we  were  ready 

• 

for  our  blankets,  when  I  chanced  to  think  that  I  had  been 
annoyed  all  day  by  the  rattling  of  the  spokes  in  the  wheels 
of  our  wagon.  Knowing  that  the  hot  sun  and  excessively 
dry  weather  had  caused  the'  wood  to  shrink,  I  called  Jimmy, 
and  told  him  to  go  down  into  the  bed  of  the  aroya,  and  dig 
some  holes  in  the  sand,  which  would  soon  fill  with  water; 
and  after  watering  the  animals,  to  bring  some  up  and  wet 
the  wheels  thoroughly,  and  keep  them  wet  for  an  hour  or 
so,  or  until  they  were  sufficiently  swollen  to  become  tight 
again.  This  he  promised  to  do;  and  about  half-past  eight 
o'clock  the  doctor  and  myself  "turned  in,"  leaving  Jimmy 
to  attend  to  the  wagon  before  retiring.  I  soon  fell  into  a 
sound  sleep,  and  must  have  slept  some  hours,  when  I  was 
awakened  by  what  seemed  to  be  the  roar  of  a  mighty 
torrent. 

Hastily  rising,  I  proceeded  to  the  bank  of  the  aroya, 
where  a  sight  met  my  gaze  that  for  a  moment  astounded 
me.  The  aroya,  which  but  a  few  hours  before  was  parched 
and  dry,  was  now  filled  nearly  to  the  top  of  its  banks  with 
a  torrent  of  dark,  muddy  water,  rushing  along  at  the  rate 
of  ten  miles  an  hour,  overturning  immense  rocks,  and  bear 
ing  upon  its  black  and  seething  bosom  trees,  bushes,  and 
stumps  without  number. 

A  moment's  reflection  convinced  me  that  this  aroya  must 


148  JIMMY  IN  TROUBLE  AGAIN. 

be  the  natural  outlet  from  the  mountains,  and  the  rain  which 
had  undoubtedly  fallen  in  them  during  the  evening,  had 
collected  in  the  water-courses  and  gullies  upon  their  sides, 
and  finally  found  vent  through  this  channel  to  the  plains 
below. 

I  hastily  awoke  Dr.  Parker  and  Jimmy,  whose  astonish 
ment  at  the  sight  equalled  my  own. 

The  doctor  understood  the  phenomenon  at  once.     Not  so 

• 
Jimmy,  however,  who,  the   instant  he   heard   the  roar   of 

the  rushing  waters,  and  saw  the  turbulent  flood  surging  so 
madly  by  us,  fell  upon  his  knees,  and  with  terrified  coun 
tenance  commenced  a  prayer  to  the  Virgin,  interrupted 
only  by  loud  and  frantic  cries  for  a  "praste." 

Then  he  bewailed  the  sad  fate  that  had  induced  him  to 
enlist  in  the  service  of  a  man  who  travelled  in  such  "God 
forsaken  counthries,"  and  begged  most  piteously  to  "be  sint 
right  strate  out  of  the  divilish  place." 

The  doctor  and  myself  did  our  best  to  pacify  him,  tell 
ing  him  that  no  harm  could  possibly  come  of  it;  that  it 
was  simply  the  water  from  the  mountains  finding  its  way  to 
the  lake  he  had  tried  to  reach  the  day  before. 

At  this  explanation,  Jimmy  regarded  us  with  no  small 
amount  of  suspicion,  and  merely  remarking  "that  he  should 
think  there  was  a  divil  of  a  lake  somewhere,"  he  turned 
away;  but  the  doctor,  thinking  it  a  good  time  to  learn  the 
history  of  Jimmy's  expedition  of  the  day  before,  questioned 


HE   RELATES   HIS  ADVENTURE.  149 

him    respecting   it,    whereupon  he   gave    us   the  following 
account:  — 

"Shure,"  said  he,  "I  was  a-ridin'  along  peaceably  and 
quietly  enough,  till  I  looked  up,  and  there,  right  before  me, 
was  a  beautiful  lake,  with  its  blue  waters  a-dancin'  in  the 
sunshine  like  spangles  on  the  driss  of  a  play-actor,  and  I 
jist  thought  I'd  ride  down  to  it,  and  give  the  poor  baste  a 
sup  of  wather;  and  bedad,  the  farther  I  rode,  the  farther  off 
I  was  from  it,  but  I  kept  on  ridin'  and  ridin',  until  by  and 
by  it  jist  sunk  right  into  the  ground,  and  disappeared  in- 
tirely  out  of  me  sight;  and  when  I  got  to  the  place  where 
I  saw  it  wid  me  own  eyes,  it  wasn't  there  at  all,  and  the 
ground  under  it  was  as  dhry  as  the  powther  in  me  gun. 
Shure,  Judge,  it  was  the  divil's  own  lake,  and  that's  some 
of  the  wather  of  it  down  there.  Sir,  I'll  die  if  I  stay  in  this 
huthenish  counthry  another  day;  you  must  send  me  straight 
home." 

,    Here   noticing,  for   the  first   time,    that   the  wagon  was 
without  wheels,  I  said, — 

"Jimmy,  where  are  the  wheels?" 

His  reply,  "I  think  they  are  gone  to  the  divil,  shure," 
did  not  in  the  least  add  to  my  amiability,  and  I  again 
said, — 

"Jimmy,  where  are  the  wheels  of  the  wagon?" 

"Indade,  sir,  I  don't  know,"  was  the  only  answer  I  could 
obtain. 


150 


.4    WAGON   WITHOUT    WHEELS. 


After  much  coaxing,  Dr.  Parker  succeeded  in  eliciting 
the  information,  that  after  we  had  retired  he  had  taken  the 
wheels  off,  and  carrying  them  down  into  the  bed  of  the 
aroya,  had  put  them  to  soak  in  the  hole  he  had  dug  for 
the  mules  to  drink  from,  intending  to  rise  early  enough  to 


THE  WHEEL  SCENE. 


put  them  to  the  wagon  before  the  doctor  and  myself  should 
awake;  and,  added  the  doctor,  "If  we  may  judge  from  the 
ease  with  which  the  stones  are  rolled  over  by  the  force  of 
the  current,  we  shall  probably  find  those  wheels  < Rocked  in 
the  cradle  of  the  deep,'  sometime  to-morrow." 


FOR    WHEEL   OR    WHOA?  151 

Here  was  a  fix ;  for  a  wagon  without  wheels  on  the  plains 
is  a  somewhat  useless  encumbrance,  .and  we  had  no  other 
means  of  transporting  our  supplies  for  the  trip. 

I  was  thoroughly  vexed  at  Jimmy's  disobedience  of  orders, 
as  well  as  at  his  carelessness,  and  am  somewhat  afraid  that 
I  then  and  there  indulged  in  the  use  of  language  that  would 
hardly  have  been  deemed  proper  by  members  of  Orthodox 
churches  "in  good  and  regular  standing." 

I  reflected,  however,  that  this  loud  talk  would  do  no 
good,  and  that  we  must  wait  until  the  waters  subsided, 
which  they  did,  almost  as  suddenly  as  they  had  appeared. 

About  ten  o'clock,  the  doctor  and  Jimmy  started  out  to 
search  along  the  bottom  of  the  aroya  for  the  wheels,  while  1 
remained  in  camp  to  look  after  our  treasures  there.  It  was; 
three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  before  they  returned,  bringing 
with  them  two  of  the  wheels,  which  they  had  recovered 
about  four  miles  below;  the  others  they  were  unable  to  find. 
Another  day  must  be  spent  in  the  search.  About  noon  one 
more  was  found,  nearly  six  miles  from  our  camp;  and  on 
returning  with  it,  the  last  was  discovered,  partially  buried 
in  the  sand,  with  a  ponderous  stone  resting  upon  it. 
Jimmy  had  the  pleasure  of  digging  it  out;  and  upon  re 
covering  it,  we  were  glad  to  find  that,  though  somewhat 
damaged,  it  would  still  answer  its  purpose. 

Jimmy,  though  rather  reticent  on  the  subject,  was  heard 
to  say  that,  "If  the  Blissid  Virgin  would  bring  him  safe 


152  HOW  THEY  MAKE    WHISKEY. 

to  a  civilized  counthry  once  more,  the  divil  shouldn't  kape 
him  from  returnin'  to  ould  Ireland  by  the  first  stamer,"  to 
which  remark  the  doctor  responded, — 

"Well,  Jimmy;  if  we  lose  the  wheels  again,  you'll  have 
to  pack  it,  I'm  afraid!" 

The  next  morning  found  us  once  more  on  the  road.  We 
travelled  all  day  without  seeing  any  object  worthy  of  note, 
and  just  at  night  came  to  a  distilling  camp,  near  which  we 
pitched  our  own. 

Here  a  party  of  Mexicans  and  Papago  Indians  were  en 
gaged  in  distilling  mescal,  the  native  whiskey  of  Arizona. 

The  maguey,  or  Mexican  aloe,  grows  in  great  abundance 
here,  and  many  come  to  this  vicinity  for  the  purpose  of 
gathering  it. 

A  large  pit  is  first  dug,  and  partially  filled  with  stones; 
upon  these  a  fire  is  built,  and  kept  up  until  the  stones  are 
heated  red-hot;  then  the  roots  of  the  maguey  which  have 
been  gathered,  each  consisting  of  a  bulb  about  as  large  as 
one's  head,  are  placed  upon  the  stones,  and  covered  with 
blankets,  where  they  are  kept  until  perfectly  soft.  Next 
they  are  placed  in  large  bags,  made  of  rawhide,  and 
stretched  on  poles,  into  which  a  man  climbs,  and  by  tramp 
ling  upon  them,  presses  out  the  juice,  which  runs  through 
small  holes  in  the  bottom  of  the  bag,  and  is  caught  in  pails. 
This  juice  is  then  allowed  to  ferment,  when  a  liquor  is 
obtained,  that,  I  believe,  from  Jimmy's  appearance  when 


TUCSON.  153 

he  returned  to  camp  that  night,  will  make  a  person  drunk 
clear  through,  in  a  very  short  space  of  time. 

Jimmy's  excuse  that  it  was  "pure  mountain  dew,"  was 
accepted;  for  in  taste  and  smell  it  more  strongly  resembled 
Irish  whiskey  than  any  liquor  I  have  ever  seen. 

An  early  start  the  next  morning,  and  just  after  noon  we 
entered  the  town  of  Tucson,  nothing  having  occurred  to 
relieve  the  monotony  of  the  journey;  for  Jimmy  mani 
fested  not  the  least  desire  to  start  on  any  more  expedi 
tions  in  search  of  either  water  or  information,  although 
he  frequently  complained  that  "thravellin'  was  very  dhry 
wark." 

Tucson,  at  this  time,  was  the  capital  of  the  Territory, 
with  a  population  of  about  six  hundred  inhabitants,  pearly 
one-half  of  which  were  Mexicans,  the  balance  consisting  of 
a  mixture  of  Apaches,  Pimos,  Papagoes,  and  cut- throats. 
Probably  never  before  in  the  history  of  any  country  were 
gathered  within  the  walls  of  a  'city  such  a  complete  assort 
ment  of  horse-thieves,  gamblers,  murderers,  vagrants,  and 
villains,  as  were  to  be  found  in  the  city  of  Tucson. 

The  general  appearance  of  the  place  gave  one  the  impres 
sion  that  it  had  originally  been  a  hill,  which,  owing  to  an 
unexpected  but  just  visitation  of  Providence,  had  been 
struck  with  lightning;  and  the  dilapidated  mud  walls,  and 
dismantled  jacals,  that  served  as  a  shelter  for  the  festering 
mass  of  corruption  that  breathed  upon  the  site,  were  the 
20 


154  MISSION   OF  SAN  XAVIER. 

residuum  left  in  the  shape  of  mud  deposits,  for  not  a  white 
wall  nor  a  green  tree  was  to  be  seen  there. 

The  only  objects  which  met  the  eye  were  dilapidated  bake 
ovens,  old  sheds,  broken  pottery,  dead  horses,  tumble 
down  corrals,  live  dogs,  drunken  Indians,  mules,  pigs,  and 
naked  children.  The  sight  was  such  an  one  as  I  had  never 
before  witnessed  within  the  limits  of  civilization,  and  com 
pletely  filled  me  with  disgust. 

There  was  no  fonda,  or  other  house  of  entertainment, 
and  when  one  reached  the  apology  that  was  called  the  plaza, 
he  stopped,  absolutely  bewildered,  not  knowing  where  to 
go,  or  how  to  get  there. 

We  soon  found  an  unoccupied  mud  box,  that  served  as  a 
house,  spread  our  blankets  on  the  mud  floor,  and  cooked  our 
food  in  the  mud  fire-place;  when  night  came,  we  brought 
everything,  including  wagon,  harness,  mules,  and  accompa 
niments,  into  the  mud  walls,  and  shut  and  barred  the  doors. 

The  miserable  appearance  of  the  city  and  its  inhabitants 
determined  us  to  get  out  of  the  town  as  soon  as  possible, 
and  get  out  we  did,  early  in  the  morning,  Dr.  Parker  re 
marking  that  "there  was  little  fear  of  our  being  salted  for 
looking  back,  though  if  there  ever  was  a  place  closely 
al  ied  to  old  Sodom,  it  was  Tucson." 

We  shortly  entered  the  lovely  valley  of  the  Santa  Cruz; 
and  here,  ten  miles  from  Tucson,  we  came  upon  the 
beautiful  mission  of  San  Xavier  del  Bac,  built  by  the 


SARACENIC  ARCHITECTURE.  155 

Jesuits  in  1678,  and  the  building  would  be  an  ornament 
to  any  city  in  the  United  States. 

It  is  the  most  beautiful,  as  well  as  remarkable,  speci 
men  of  the  Saracenic  style  of  architecture  to  be  found  in 
the  country;  nor  have  I  ever  seen  a  building  in  such  per 
fect  harmony  with  its  proportions  as  is  this.  The  moment 
the  eye  rests  upon  it,  one  experiences  a  feeling  of  entire 
satisfaction,  so  complete  is  it  in  every  detail.  Its  front 
is  richly  ornamented  with  elaborate  carving.  Standing 
in  niches,  and  grouped  over  and  around  the  main  entrance, 
are  the  remains  of  the  figures  of  the  twelve  Apostles, 
evidently  the  work  of  a  master's  hand.  From  the  front 
corners  rise  lofty  and  beautifully  proportioned  towers,  one 
of  which  is  surmounted  with  a  most  graceful  spire.  Over 
the  main  body  of  the  church,  which  is  cruciform  in  shape, 
rises  a  massive  dome;  while  the  walls,  both  inside  and  out, 
are  capped  by  handsome  cornices. 

Nearly  two  hundred  years  have  rolled  over  the  walls  of 
this  magnificent  structure,  this  splendid  monument  of  the 
zeal,  energy,  and  civilization  of  the  ancient  Jesuits. 

It  is  now  but  a  mere  wreck,  when  compared  with  its 
former  splendor.  Eighty  thousand  dollars'  worth  of  gold 
and  silver  ornamented  its  altar  when  the  Te  Deum  Laudamus 
was  chanted  within  its  walls,  and  the  mountain-tops  around 
echoed  the  sound  of  the  vesper  bell,  calling  the  poor  Indian 
to  prayer. 


156  THE  PAPAGO   INDIANS. 

Alas!  Time  has  blackened  its  frescoed  walls,  and  sac- 
dlegious  hands  have  defaced  its  fine  statuary  and  paintings; 
but  the  building  itself  will  stand  in  its  massive  strength  for 
a  thousand  years,  and  its  graceful  spire,  silently  pointing 
upwards,  will  not  fail  to  remind  the  beholder  that,  hundreds 
of  years  ago,  upon  the  deserts  of  Arizona,  the  example  of 
the  lowly  Nazarene  was  held  forth  for  the  guidance  of  pagan 
Indians,  in  obedience  to  the  Divine  command,  "Go  ye  into 
all  the  world,  and  preach  the  Gospel." 

Does  not  this  magnificent  building,  with  its  desert  sur 
roundings,  teach  the  stay-at-home-and-take-your-ease  Chris 
tians  of  the  present  day  a  lesson  worthy  of  imitation? 

'Twas  an  inexpressibly  sad  sight,  this  crumbling  monu 
ment  of  man's  faithfulness  and  devotion  in  extending  the 
reign  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ;  and  as  I  stood  before  its 
altar,  my  eye  vainly  striving  to  pierce  the  deep  gloom  of 
its  shadowy  aisles  and  recesses,  the  sight  of  a  venerable- 
looking  old  Indian,  devoutly  kneeling  with  uncovered  head 
before  a  little  crucifix,  carried  my  thoughts  far  back  to  the 
day  and  generation  when  the  choir  responded  to  the  solemn 
mass,  "Glory  to  God  in  the  highest";  and  I  could  almost 
hear  the  sweet  tones  of  the  priest,  as  they  resounded  through 
the  arched  and  gloomy  recesses  of  the  old  church,  repeat 
ing,  "And  on  earth  peace,  good-will  toward  men." 

Desolation  and  decay,  however,  have  left  their  ineffaceable 
marks  upon  the  building;  and  as  I  left  its  portals  it  was 


OLD  JOSE,   THEIR   CHIEF.  157 

with  the  reflection  that,  after  all,  San  Xavier  was  but  a     * 
pictuie  of  life,  drawn  by  a  master's  hand,  whose  outlines 
time  never  dims,  and  whose  colors  never  fade. 

The  building  is  in  charge  of  the  Papago  Indians,  who 
still  worship  in  it.  There  are  about  two  hundred  of  these 
Indians,  who  reside  in  this  vicinity,  and  cultivate  the  rich 
bottom-lands  of  the  Santa  Cruz,  raising  wheat,  rye,  corn, 
and  vegetables  in  profusion.  They  also  grow  the  most 
delicious  pomegranates  I  ever  tasted. 

At  the  time  of  my  visit,  they  were  very  much  in  need  of 
stock,  the  Apaches  having  made  a  raid  upon  them  only  a 
few  nights  before,  and  driven  off  all  their  animals. 

Old  Jose  was  the  chief  of  the  tribe,  and  claimed  a  direct 
descent  from  royal  blood.  He  informed  us,  in  a  peculiar 
jargon  of  Spanish,  Papago,  and  English,  that  he  was  one 
hundred  and  four  years  of  age,  a  statement  that  his  appear 
ance  seemed  to  substantiate. 

Let  me  attempt  a  description  of  him.  Imagine,  if  you 
can,  a  short,  thick-set  person,  weighing  about  two  hundred 
and  thirty  pounds,  clothed  in  an  old-fashioned,  snuff-colored 
dress-coat,  the  tails  of  which  gracefully  swept  the  ground. 
Upon  one  shoulder  an  old  tarnished  epaulet;  upon  his  feet 
a  pair  of  moccasins,  richly  wrought  in  silk,  and  ornamented 
with  tiny  bells  of  solid  silver;  his  legs  entirely  destitute 
of  clothing,  and  resembling  very  closely  a  pair  of  old- 
fashioned  clothes-pins.  His  long,  black  hair,  parted  in  the 


158  VAIN  AND  POMPOUS. 

middle,  was  braided  in  a  cue,  the  end  ornamented  with 
gaudy-colored  ribbons,  which,  resting  on  the  top  of  his 
high,  stiff  coat-collar,  elevated  it  to  an  angle  of  forty-five 
degrees,  giving  his  head  a  very  singular  and  grotesque  appear 
ance.  The  parting  of  his  hair  was  painted  a  bright  green, 
while  his  cheeks  were  plentifully  daubed  with  ochre  and 
vermilion.  In  his  hand  he  carried  a  high-crowned,  narrow- 
rimmed  hat,  of  so  small  a  size  that  he  could,  by  no  possi 
bility,  get  it  on  his  head. 

He  informed  me,  with  a  smile  that  was  intended  to  be« 
"childlike  and  bland,"  and  perfectly  displaying  his  tooth 
less  gums,  that  he  was  habited   in  his   best  garments,  for 
the  express  purpose  of  doing  us  great  honor. 

I  could  not  avoid  offering  him  a  slight  token  of  my  ap 
preciation  of  his  politeness,  in  the  shape  of  a  silver  coin, 
which  he  seized  with  an  avidity  that  convinced  me  that  this 
"venerable  descendant  of  his  ancestors"  had  the  same  over 
weening  desire  for  filthy  lucre  that  has  ever  shown  itself  in 
human  nature,  whether  descended  from  royal  blood,  or  born 
in  the  plebeian  walks  of  every-day  life. 

Not  wishing  to  be  outdone  in  politeness,  I  complimented 
the  old  fellow  upon  his  fine  personal  appearance,  telling  him 
that  Jimmy  had  remarked,  there  was  about  him  that 
majesty  and  dignity  which  could  be  found  only  among 
Ireland's  most  kingly  kings,  at  which  compliment  the  old 
fellow  turned  himself  slowly  around,  to  give  me  a  better 


NOVEL  MUSIC.  159 

opportunity  to  appreciate  and  admire  his  elegant  dress  and 
majestic  bearing;  and  taking  from  his  capacious  pocket  a 
small  piece  of  mirror,  he  proceeded  to  take  a  survey  of  his 
ugly  features  with  evident  delight  and  satisfaction,  slowly 
repeating  "Si,  senor,  muy  linda,  muy  linda;"  or,  Yes,  sir; 
very  beautiful,  very  beautiful. 

The  old  fellow's  antics  reminded  me  more  of  a  fashiona 
ble  dandy  of  the  present  day,  than  any  animal  I  ever  saw; 
and  I  came  to  the  conclusion  that  one  could  study  human 
nature  quite  as  well  in  a  Papago  Indian,  as  in  a  Broadway 
exquisite. 

Jimmy  was  really  overpowered  by  the  magnificent  strut  of 
Old  Jose,  and  remarked  to  Dr.  Parker,  that  "you  could 
aluz  tell  a  borned  king  whiniver  yer  seen  him,"  a  truism 
that  neither  Dr.  Parker  nor  myself  could  contradict,  as  this 
was  the  first  specimen  of  the  kind  we  had  ever  met,  and 
withal  as  bare  a  specimen  of  a  monarch  as  ever  swayed  a 
sceptre. 

That  evening  we  attended  vesper  service  in  the  old 
church,  for  the  Papagoes  still  respect  the  religion  of  the 
Catholic  Church,  taught  to  their  ancestors  more  than  two 
centuries  ago.  I  was  surprised  and  delighted  by  the  music; 
it  was  novel  and  charming. 

When  the  priest  reached  a  certain  portion  of  the  service, 
the  air  seemed  suddenly  filled  by  the  warbling  of  ten  thou 
sand  birds,  whose  melodious  notes  rose  and  fell  and 


160  MEMORABLE   VESPER  SERVICE, 

swelled  and  lingered  through  the  arched  passages  of  the 
church,  now  dying  away  as  though  in  the  far  distance,  and 
again  approaching  nearer  and  nearer,  until  the  very  air 
seemed  resonant  with  the  notes  of  the  sweetest  feathered 
songsters. 

Again  we  heard  it,  but  so  exquisitely  soft  and  low  that  its 
cadences  more  closely  resembled  the  wailings  of  an  JEolian 
harp,  than  music  created  by  mortal  agency.  Once  more  it 
swelled  into  grand  and  lofty  paeans  of  praise,  until  it  seemed 
that  such  exquisite  music  must  be  created  by  a  celestial  choir. 
Even  Jimmy,  who  was  devoutly  kneeling  in  prayer,  stopped, 
and  looking  up,  remarked,  "What  the  divil  is  that  now?  I 
niver  heard  the  likes  er  that,  aven  in  ould  Ireland." 

As  soon  as  we  could  withdraw  from  the  service,  the  doctor 
and  myself  ascended  to  the  gallery  of  the  church,  by  means 
of  a  notched  log  of  wood,  that  served  for  stairs. 

Here  we  found,  lying  flat  on  their  faces  upon  the  floor,  a 
dozen  or  more  youths,  before  each  one  of  whom  stood  a 
small  cup  of  water,  in  which  was  inserted  one  end  of  split 
reeds  of  different  sizes,  the  other  end  of  the  reed  being  held 
in  their  mouths,  and  blowing  through  it,  they  produced  the 
sweet  sounds  which  had  so  enchanted  us. 

It  seemed  impossible  that  such  delicious  music  could  be 
produced  by  such  simple  instruments.  The  vesper  service, 
in  the  old  mission  of  San  Xavier  del  Bac,  was  one  never  to 
be  forgotten. 


DELIGHT  OF  JIMMY.  161 

We  returned  to  canip  that  night  well  pleased  with  the 
experiences  of  the  day,  and  quite  delighted  with  our  visit. 
Jimmy  was  highly  elated,  and  frequently  remarked  that 
"he  niver  expicted  to  spmd  another  day  in  the  prisence  ov 
a  live  king,"  as  he  persisted  in  calling  Old  Jose\ 

The  next  morning's  sun  found  us  en  route  for  Tubac,  from 
which  point  we  intended  to  visit  the  silver  mines  of 
Arizona. 

21 


CHAPTER    XI. 


WENTY  miles'  drive  through 
the  rich  bottom-lands  of  the 
Santa  Cruz  brought  us  to 
Bill  May's  ranche.  Every 
one  in  Arizona  knew  Bill, 
—  a  whole-souled,  generous- 
hearted,  daring  frontierman, 
who  never  turned  a  traveller 
away  hungry  from  his  door, 
or  refused  the  shelter  of  his 

roof  to  the  unfortunate.  We  had  passed  many  ranches  on 
our  way,  seen  many  fields  of  waving  corn,  but  had  ridden 
thus  far  because  we  wanted  to  see  Bill  May.  We  found 
him  at  home,  and  he  bade  us  "Enter"  in  the  loud,  cheery 
tones  of  a  man  whose  heart  was  in  his  words;  and  the  ifrarm, 
friendly  shake  of  the  hand  with  which  he  greeted  us  spoke 
a  sincere  welcome. 

May  was  a  fine,  athletic  fellow,  fully  six  feet  in  height, 

(162) 


TUBAC.  163 

as  brave  as  Julius  Caesar,  and  as  cool  as  a  cucumber,  never 
losing  his  presence  of  mind  under  any  circumstances.  He 
was  at  war  with  the  Apaches,  and  took  every  opportunity 
to  "bag"  some  of  them,  as  he  expressed  it.  Only  a  few 
days  before,  he  had  followed  a  party  who  had  stolen  some  of 
his  cattle,  and  not  only  recovered  the  stock,  but  "bagged" 
two  of  the  Indians,  of  which  fact  he  felt  justly  proud. 

A  hearty  supper  of  venison,  with  plenty  of  good  coffee  to 
enliven  us  during  the  evening,  and  help  us  swallow  some  of 
the  Indian  stories  Bill  entertained  us  with,  together  with 
a  clean,  sweet  bed  to  sleep  in,  —  the  first  we  had  occupied 
since  we  left  Mesilla,  —  rested  and  refreshed  us  for  our 
morrow's  journey. 

A  delightful  drive  of  some  twenty  miles  through  a  most 
beautiful  portion  of  the  Territory,  was  the  route  for  the 
day.  We  passed  numerous  traces  of  former  cultivation,  in 
the  shape  of  unused  and  dry  acequias,  extending  for  miles 
in  all  directions,  together  with  the  remains  of  old  ranches 
and  adobe  walls,  which  presented  a  sad  contrast  to  the 
bright  beauties  of  the  day  and  the  green  bottom-lands  of  the 
Santa  Cruz.  It  was  late  in  the  afternoon  when  we  reached 
Tubac,  which  at  that  time  was  the  head-quarters  of  the  most 
refined  and  intelligent  portion  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  Ter 
ritory,  —  gentlemen  from  the  East,  in  charge  of  the  silver 
mines  in  this  vicinity;  scientific  men,  s^nt  out  to  explore 
and  report  upon  newly-discovered  mines;  German  metallur- 


164  THE  MISSION  OF  TUMACCARI. 

gists;  officers  of  the  military  fort  situated  near  by, — in 
short,  the  elite  of  Arizona  called  Tubac  their  home.  It 
was  also  the  head-quarters  of  the  Arizona  Mining  Com 
pany;  and  it  was  here  that  we  met  Mr.  Post  on,  the  agent 
and  superintendent  of  the  company. 

The  town  itself  was  very  attractive,  with  its  beautiful 
groves  of  acacias,  its  peach-orchards  and  its  pomegranates, 
situated,  as  it  is,  immediately  on  the  banks  of  the  Santa 
Cruz,  and  embowered  in  the  most  luxuriant  foliage.  In 
close  proximity  to  this  town  are  to  be  found  the  Santa  Rita, 
the  Heintzleman,  and  the  Cerro  Gordo  mines,  the  richest  yet 
discovered  in  the  Territory.  Game  was  very  abundant,  and 
our  larder  was  well  supplied  with  venison,  wild  turkey,  fish, 
and  many  other  creature  comforts,  much  to  the  evident  de 
light  of  Jimmy,  who,  in  addition  to  the  fact  that  he  wa3 
cook,  greatly  loved  "good  aitin." 

The  population  of  Tubac  consisted  of  about  eight  hundred 
souls,  one-sixth  of  whom  were  Americans  and  Germans,  the 
remainder  being  Sonoranians,  with  a  few  Yaqui  Indians.  This 
town,  like  Tucson,  was  originally  an  old  Mexican  fort, 
which,  after  the  establishment  of  the  boundary  line,  was  de 
serted  by  the  Mexicans,  and  the  first  settlement  of  Ameri 
cans  was  made  here  in  the  year  1856.  The  only  business 
transacted  was  that  done  by  the  mining  company,  if  we 
except  the  trade  in  mescal,  which  waS  very  extensive. 

Four  miles  below  Tubac,  on  a  beautiful  slope  of  the  Santa 


VISIT   TO    THE  SILVER  MINES.  165 

Cruz,  is  another  old  mission  building  erected  by  the  Jesuits, 
known  as  the  mission  of  San  Jose  de  Tumaccari,  which 
was  built  about  the  time  of  that  of  San  Xavier  del  Bac, 
though  it  is  far  from  being  in  as  good  a  state  of  preservation, 
owing,  no  doubt,  to  the  vandalism  of  the  Americans  and  the 
depredations  of  the  Apaches.  In  fact,  the  building  is  but 
little  better  than  a  mass  of  'ruins.  Like  all  these  missions, 
Tumaccari  was  located  in  a  fine  agricultural  country,  as 
shown  by  the  remains  of  old  acequias,  as  well  as  the  many 
cultivated  fields  that  are  plainly  discernible  for  miles 
around;  nor  can  there  be  any  doubt  that  the  Santa  Cruz 
Valley  was  once  the  home  of  a  vast  population,  though  now, 
owing  to  the  constant  raids  of  the  Apaches,  'tis  but  a  barren 
waste. 

Gravestones,  or  rather  head-boards,  stand  by  the  road-side 
like  sentinels,  bearing  the  invariable  inscription, — 

'•KILLED  BY  THE  APACHES." 

Ruined  ranches,  deserted  haciendas,  and  until  led  fields  stare 
you  in  the  face  whichever  way  you  turn,  and  tell  a  stor}r 
that  cannot  fail  to  awaken  in  the  mind  of  the  beholder  tin 
most  melancholy  reflections. 

A  visit  to  Fort  Buchanan,  the  next  day,  at  the  head  of 
the  charming  Sonoita  Valley,  where  we  met  with  Captain 
R.  S.  Ewell  and  the  officers  of  his  command,  was  a  most 
enjoyable  one  in  every  way.  Upon  Captain  EwelPs  express- 


166  VALUE    OF    THE    ORE. 

ing  a  desire  to  visit  some  of  the  silver  mines  in  the  vicinity, 
we  urged  him  so  strongly  to  accompany  us  that  he  finally 
consented;  and,  accepting  the  generous  hospitality  offered 
by  him,  we  remained  over  night  at  the  Fort,  and  the  next 
morning,  in  company  with  the  captain  and  an  escort  of  ten 
mounted  men,  we  left  Fort  Buchanan  for  a  visit  to  the  silver 
mines  of  Southern  Arizona.  We  decided  to  first  visit  the 
Patagonia  mine,  then  owned  by  Sylvester  Mowrey,  one  of 
the  first  American  settlers  in  the  Territory.  We  found  Mr. 
Mowrey  at  the  mine,  and  received  from  him  some  important 
information  concerning  it,  which  may  be  of  interest  to  the 
reader. 

The  mine  is  situated  in  the  Santa  Cruz  Mountains,  about 
six  thousand  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  It  is  nearly 
three  hundred  miles  from  Guaymas,  on  the  Gulf  of  Califor 
nia,  and  about  ten  miles  from  the  Sonora  line.  It  was 
worked  by  the  Spaniards  as  early  as  1760,  abandoned  on 
account  of  Apache  raids  in  1820,  and  was  rediscovered  by 
Mr.  Mowrey  in  1856.  At  the  time  of  our  visit,  the  com 
pany  were  engaged  in  putting  in  a  steam-engine,  which  had 
been  hauled  by  mules  from  Lavaca,  in  Texas,  a  distance  of 
fourteen  hundred  miles.  A  boiler  weighing  nearly  six 
thousand  pounds  had  also  been  brought  in  the  same  way, 
to  the  great  terror  of  the  Apaches,  who  not  only  kept  a 
respectable  distance  from  it,  but  could  not  be  induced  to 
approach  it,  believing  it  to  be  a  huge  cannon,  brought  into 


OVERTAKEN  BY  APACHES.  167 

the  country  to  accomplish  their  immediate  and  entire  de 
struction  at  one  discharge. 

The  necessary  buildings  for  the  machinery,  the  smelting- 
houses,  reduction  works,  store-houses,  and  dwellings  "for  the 
peons  was  a  most  pleasing  sight  in  contrast  to  the  signs  of 
desolation  to  be  seen  in  all  other  directions.  The  ore  taken 
from  this  mine  is  an  argentiferous  galena,  strongly  impreg 
nated  with  arsenic,  and  is  easily  mined  and  reduced.  There 
are  three  veins,  each  large  and  well  defined.  The  ore  was 
yielding  from  sixty  to  seventy  dollars  per  ton,  which  was 
considered  a  large  paying  yield.  Since  that  time,  a  day's 
working,  or  twenty  tons  of  ore,  has  yielded  as  high  as  sixteen 
hundred  dollars,  at  an  actual  cost  of  about  four  hundred. 

Notwithstanding  these  results,  the  proprietors  have  never 
been  able  to  realize  much  profit  from  it,  on  account  of  the 
depredations  of  the  Indians;  and  shortly  after  my  visit,  a 
band  of  Apaches  drove  off  all  of  the  company's  stock,  and 
murdered  the  superintendent  and  many  of  the  miners: 
since  then  the  mines  have  been  unworked,  the  valuable  ma 
chinery  useless,  many  of  the  buildings  destroyed,  and  deso 
lation  and  decay  have  left  their  sad  marks  on  all  around. 

That  night  we  encamped  near  the  foot  of  the  Pintos 
Mountains,  in  a  beautiful  grove  of  cotton-wood,  beside  a 
spring  whose  clear,  sparkling  waters  we  found  to  be  quite 
as  cool  as  we  cared  to  drink. 

Eising   early  the   next   morning,  I  set  out  for  a  walk  of 


168  OVERTAKEN  BY  APACHES. 

three  or  four  miles,  to  visit  a  pass,  or  canon,  in  the  moun 
tains,  whose  beauty  I  had  often  heard  extolled  by  Captain 
Ewell.  I  had  gone  nearly  two  miles  from  camp,  and  was 
admiring  the  grandeur  of  the  mountain  scenery  before  me, 
whose  peaks  were  fairly  gleaming  in  the  rays  of  the  rising 
sun,  when  my  ear  caught  the  sound  of  unshod  horses'  feet 
resounding  on  the  hard,  pebbly  soil,  like  the  muffled  gallop 
of  a  distant  squad  of  cavalry.  Failing  to  detect  the  sharp 
ring  of  the  iron  hoofs  of  our  American  horses,  I  at  once 
decided  that  it  was  a  party  of  Indians  approaching.  Hastily 
secreting  myself  behind  a  thick  clump  of  hackberry,  I 
breathlessly  awaited  further  developments;  nor  had  I  long 
to  wait,  for  I  soon  saw  approaching  a  party  of  eight  Apaches, 
each  bestriding  an  animal  gaudily  caparisoned  with  eagles' 
feathers  and  brass  ornaments. 

They  passed  very  near  me,  —  so  near,  in  fact,  that  I  was 
enabled  to  note  the  face  and  peculiar  ornaments  of  each 
one  of  the  party.  Not  a  sound  was  heard  save  the  foot 
steps  of  their  horses,  nor  was  a  word  spoken  as  long  as 
they  remained  in  sight.  Each  one  was  naked,  save  the 
breech-clout,  and  carried  in  his  hand  the  hated  spear  sc 
well  known  and  dreaded  among  the  settlers  in  Arizona, 
while  to  the  saddles  of  four  of  the  party  was  tied  an  old 
Mississippi  Yauger,  of  antiquated  make  and  flint  lock, 
yet  quite  effective  in  the  hands  of  Apaches.  Their  faces 
and  bodies  were  well  striped  with  vermilion,  ochre,  and 


A  HUEEIED  RETURN. 


169 


black,  and  as  they  passed,  each  brave  sitting  erect, 
and  as  firm  as  a  rock  upon  the  back  of  his  horse, 
their  eyes  constantly  turning  to  the  right  and  left,  as  if 
scanning  every  bush  and  rock  that  might  permit  concealment 
for  a  foe,  I  could  but  admire  their  dignified  and  soldier-like 


I  EETUKN  TO  CAMP  WITHOUT  MY  HAT. 


bearing,  though  I  well  knew  that  a  discovery  of  my  hiding- 
place   would    be    certain    and  speedy   death  to   me.     I  am 
bound  to  confess   that   during  the  time  they  were  in  sight 
I  was  more  quiet  than  I  had  ever  been  before  in  my  life. 
As  soon  as  the  Indians  were  well  out  of  sight,  I  started 
22 


170  DISCIPLINE   OF  THE  APACHES. 

for  camp.  I  started  in  haste,  too;  not  because  I  was  hungry, 
as  much  as  because  I  was  lonesome  and  particularly  anxious 
to  see  my  friends. 

In  thinking  the  thing  over,  I  am  convinced  that  there  is 
no  white  man  living  at  the  present  time,  who  ever  got  over 
more  ground  in  a  shorter  space  of  time,  than  did  I  in 
going  from  the  clump  of  hackberry  to  our  camp.  When  I 
reached  the  camp  I  was  somewhat  "blown,"  and  found  that 
I  had  very  carelessly  left  my  hat  somewhere  on  the  route. 
I  needed  that  hat  badly,  still  I  decided  not  to  go  back  after 
it,  nor  have  I  seen  it  to  this  day. 

As  soon  as  I  could  obtain  a  sufficient  amount  of  breath 
to  enable  me  to  explain  the  circumstances  of  my  hasty  entry 
into  camp,  Captain  Ewell  started  at  once  with  eight  of  his 
men,  in  the  hope  of  overtaking  them.  We  remained  here 
all  day,  and  it  was  not  until  late  in  the  evening  that  the 
captain  and  his  party  returned,  without  having  been  able 
to  come  up  with  the  Indians,  who  managed  to  secrete 
themselves  as  soon  as  they  reached  the  mountains. 

The  Apaches,  when  on  a  raid  or  on  the  war-path,  are 
allowed  to  eat  but  one  meal  a  day,  and  to  rest  but  three 
hours  out  of  the  twenty-four.  Their  discipline  when  on 
their  excursions  is  splendid,  quite  equal  to  that  of  any  army 
of  civilized  soldiers,  while  their  ability  to  endure  the  hard 
ships  and  discomforts  of  a  campaign  is  far  superior  to  that 
of  white  men. 


COYTERO  APACHES.  17J 

The  Indians  whom  I  encountered  in  my  morning  ramble 
were,  undoubtedly,  Coytero  Apaches,  and  a  part  of 
Deligado's  band.  It  is  hardly  necessary  to  say  that  I  did 
not  take  any  more  lonely  rambles,  but  confined  myself 
strictly  to  camp,  much  to  the  delight  of  Jimmy,  who  re 
marked  in  my  presence,  that  "such  an  escape  ought  to  be 
a  warnin'  to  any  man  that  was  in  the  habit  of  wanderin' 
over  the  counthry  when  honest  men  should  be  in  bed  and 
aslape." 


CHAPTER  XI!. 


broke  camp  early  the  fol 
lowing  morning,  111  order 
to  reach  the  Santa  Rita 
mine,  situated  in  the  Santa 
Rita  Mountains,  the  next 
day,  the  distance  being  about 
forty  miles.  We  found  at 
the  mine  a  Mr.  Grosvenor, 
who  was  the  general  manager 
of  affairs  there.  He  had  but 
recently  been  appointed  to  the  position,  and  was  laboring 
hard  to  get  things  in  order.  He  informed  us  that  the 
Apaches,  within  the  past  twelve  months,  had  killed  his 
three  predecessors  in  the  management  of  the  mines;  and 
within  six  months  from  that  time,  Mr.  Grosvenor  suffered  a 
similar  fate. 

Up  to  the  time  of  our  visit,  several  assays  of  the  ore  had 
been  made,  yielding  from  sixty  to  four  hundred  dollars  to 

(172) 


THE   SALERO  MINE.  173 

the  ton.  In  less  than  a  year  afterwards,  the  Apaches  had 
killed  all  the  miners  and  stolen  the  stock,  thus  forcing  the 
company  to  abandon  the  enterprise  which  had  given  such 
promise  of  great  success.  In  close  proximity  to  the  Santa 
Rita  mine,  and  in  the  same  range,  is  the  Salero  mine.  This 
mine  is  advantageously  located  as  regards  wood  and  water, 
and  at  the  time  of  our  visit  was  regarded  as  one  of  the  most 
valuable  mines  in  the  Territory.  Mr.  Grosvenor  informed 
us  that  more  than  a  hundred  and  twenty  years  before  it 
was  worked  under  the  superintendence  of  the  Jesuits,  then 
living  at  the  mission  of  Tumaccari,  and  at  that  time 
yielded  very  large  quantities  of  silver.  The  settlers  about, 
call  it  the  Salt-cellar  mine,  and  tell  the  following  story  of 
the  origin  of  the  name. 

At  the  time  the  Jesuits  were  working  the  mine,  the 
bishop  of  Sonora,  a  very  distinguished  person  in  those 
days,  took  it  into  his  head  to  visit  the  good  fathers  at 
Tumaccari.  He  arrived  at  the  mission  with  a  numerous 
retinue,  and  surrounded  with  much  pomp  and  state.  Now 
the  bishop  was  but  a  man,  after  all,  and  a  man  somewhat 
noted  for  the  same  distinguishing  characteristics  that  our 
friend  Jimmy  possessed,  viz.  he  loved  "good  aitin."  So 
when  the  holy  fathers  ascertained  whom  their  guest  really 
was,  they  hastily  bestirred  themselves,  that  they  might  give 
him  a  fitting  reception,  and  an  entertainment  worthy  of 
his  Reverence.  Everything  was  at  length  satisfactorily 


174  A   MASSIVE  SALT-CELLAR. 

arranged.  The  capons  were  fat,  the  mutton  fine,  the  wines 
delicious,  the  fruit  luscious,  —  in  short,  everything  that 
could  tickle  the  palate  and  delight  the  taste  abounded  in 
lavish  profusion.  The  good  bishop,  however,  liked  his 
food  well  seasoned,  and  in  the  midst  of  the  sumptuous 
repast  was  confounded  to  discover  ti  lack  of  salt,  where 
upon  he  called  loudly  for  a  salt-cellar. 

Imagine  the  confusion  and  dismay  of  the  holy  fathers  at 
being  obliged  to  confess  that  within  the  walls  of  Tumaccari 

O  O 

such  an  article  as  a  salt-cellar  could  not  be  found. 

"No  salt-cellar!"  cried  the  bishop.  "Why,  I  would  as 
soon  think  of  keeping  house  without  a  house,  as  without  a 
salt-cellar." 

Humbly  acknowledging  their  fault,  the  fathers  could  only 
promise  that  on  the  morrow  the  desired  article  should  be 
procured. 

"Well  and  good,"  said  the  bishop;  "and  for  this  once 
the  omission  shall  be  pardoned." 

After  the  dinner  was  over,  the  good  fathers  consulted 
together  as  to  how  the  missing  salt-cellar  could  be  supplied 
on  so  short  a  notice.  At  length  a  bright  idea  dawned  upon 
them;  and  hastily  summoning  some^ecws,  one  of  the  fathers 
took  them  in  charge,  and  started  for  the  mine.  The  ore  was 
dug,  smelted,  and,  ere  sunrise  the  next  morning,  made  into 
a  massive  salt-cellar,  so  wonderful  and  valuable  that  the 
fame  of  it  has  descended  even  to  this  day  and  generation, 


FOET  BUCHANAN.  175 

and  it  is  to  be  seen  in  the  bishop's  palace  at  Hermosillo, 
the  wonder  and  delight  of  all  beholders. 

From  this  story  the  mine  receives  its  name  of  Salcro. 
This  mine,  together  with  the  Fuller,  Encarnation,  Bustillo, 
Crystal,  Cazador,  and  Tenaja,  all  in  the  same  range,  are 
mines  that  were  worked  many  years  ago  by  the  Spaniards, 
and,  although  yielding  largely,  were  abandoned  on  account 
of  the  Apaches. 

There  are  hundreds  of  mines  in  the  different  ranges  of 
mountains  in  this  vicinity,  all  rich,  and  many,  having  yielded 
enormously  when  worked,  now  abandoned  and  desolate,  as 
it  has  been  proved  impossible  to  work  them  so  long  as  that 
common  foe  to  industry  and  civilization,  the  Apache, 
remains  unconquered. 

Captain  Ewell  determined  to  start  for  Fort  Buchanan  at 
once;  and  we  reached  the  fort  about  midnight,  right  glad  to 
once  more  see  around  us  signs  of  life  and  civilization. 
After  refreshments,  and  a  good  whiskey  toddy,  mixed  by 
the  captain  himself,  we  retired  to  our  bed,  and  sought  that 
rest  and  sleep  we  so  much  needed. 

The  next  morning  we  returned  to  Tubac,  where  we 
remained  for  the  day,  to  the  evident  satisfaction  of  Jimmy, 
who  expressed  himself  heartily  sick  of  "pokin'  his  nose  into 
ivery  hole  in  the  ground  that  we  come  to,  and  Injuns  all 
around  us." 

The  next  day,  in   company  with  Mr.  Poston  and  Mr. 


176  THE  HEINTZLEMAN  MINE. 

Cross,  we  started  on  a  visit  to  the  Cerro  Colorado  mine, 
better  known  as  the  Heintzleman  mine,  which  derived  its 
name  from  our  brave  old  general  of  that  name,  who  in  early 
Arizona  times  was  stationed  in  the  Territory,  and  who,  per 
haps,  did  more  to  protect  the  citizens  and  develop  the  min 
eral  resources  of  Arizona  than  any  one  man  before  or  since. 

The  mine  when  we  were  there  had  passed  into  the  hands 
of  a  company  who  have  since  taken  the  name  of  the  Arizona 
Mining  Company.  The  mine  is  situated  in  the  Cerro 
Colorado  Mountains,  at  once  the  richest  and  most  barren 
range  in  the  whole  Territory.  It  is  distant  from  Tubac 
about  twenty-five  miles,  and  at  the  time  of  our  visit  was  in 
successful  operation,  employing  about  two  hundred  men, 
and  paying  a  very  handsome  profit. 

Mr.  Poston  very  kindly  placed  at  our  command  all  the 
facilities  in  his  power  to  enable  us  to  explore  the  mine, 
besides  giving  us  much  valuable  information  concerning  it. 
At  that  time  the  main  shaft  had  reached  a  depth  of  one  hun 
dred  and  twenty  feet,  and  the  ore  seemed  to  yield  far  better 
than  it  had  yet  done.  The  ore  at  a  depth  of  thirty  feet  had 
yielded  sixty  dollars  to  the  ton;  at  a  depth  of  sixty  feet  it 
had  yielded  nearly  two  thousand  dollars  to  the  ton ;  and  an 
assay  had  just  been  made  in  San  Francisco  of  the  ore  at  a 
depth  of  one  hundred  feet,  and  found  to  yield  the  enormous 
sum  of  nine  thousand  dollars  to  the  ton. 

Mr.  Poston  was  satisfied  that  the  ore  would  average  as 


DISAPPEARANCE   OF  JIMMY.  177 

high  as  six  hundred  dollars  per  ton,  which,  even  when  com 
pared  with  the  richest  silver  mines  in  Mexico  and  Nevada, 
is  very  large,  their  average  being  from  sixty  to  eighty-five 
dollars  to  the  ton. 

The  Heintzleman  mine  is,  without  doubt,  the  richest 
silver  mine  in  the  world;  but  in  1862,  the  Apaches  made  a 
descent  upon  it,  murdering  Mr.  Poston  and  many  of  the 
miners,  since  which  time  the  mine,  like  nearly  all  others  in 
Arizona,  remains  unworked. 

The  same  company  of  capitalists  who  own  this  mine,  are 
also  the  owners  of  the  celebrated  Arrivacca  ranche,  a  few 
miles  distant,  which  is  said  to  be  the  most  valuable  property 
in  the  Territory,  containing  some  thirty  thousand  acres  of  fine 
agricultural  land,  together  with  many  valuable  silver  leads, 
some  of  which  have  been  worked,  while  others  are  yet  virgin 
to  the  miner's  hand. 

While  Dr.  Parker,  in  company  with  ]\Ir.  Poston  and  my 
self,  had  been  exploring  the  wonders  of  the  Cerro  Colorado, 
Jimmy  had  disappeared,  and  with  him  an  old  but  highly- 
prized  Sharp's  carbine.  Becoming  somewhat  alarmed  for 
his  safety,  Mr.  Poston  kindly  dispatched  two  vaqueros  in 
search  of  him. 

After  an  hour  or  so  they  struck  his  trail,  and  following  it 
for  some  distance,  at  last  found  Jimmy  sitting  upon  the 
carcass  of  a  fine  buck,  that,  much  to  his  surprise,  he  had 

succeeded  in  shooting. 
23 


178  HE  STICKS   TO  HIS   GAME. 

.The  Mexicans  not  being  able  to  speak  a  word  of  English, 
and  Jimmy  not  understanding  a  word  of  Spanish,  they 
found  much  difficulty  in  forcing  him  to  comprehend  their 
object  in  coming  after  him,  he  resisting  all  their  attempts  to 
bring  him  back;  for,  as  it  was  the  first  deer  that  Jimmy  had 
ever  killed,  he  had  no  idea  of  leaving  it  until  it  was  brought 
into  camp. 

The  vaqueros,  finding  their  efforts  unavailing,  returned  to 
Mr.  Poston  to  report.  After  listening  to  the  story,  Dr. 
Parker  volunteered  to  take  a  wagon  and  go  with  the  men 
to  bring  the  game  into  camp.  Although  quite  late  when 
the  doctor  reached  the  spot,  he  found  Jimmy  patiently  wait 
ing  by  the  side  of  his  prize  for  the  arrival  of  some  one  to 
assist  him  to  bring  the  game  in. 

In  the  mean  while  Mr.  Poston  and  myself  had  quietly 
arranged  a  plan  of  action  for  our  evening's  amusement.  The 
sound  of  wheels  in  the  distance,  together  with  voices, 
Jimmy's  "rich  Irish  brogue"  being  easily  distinguishable, 
announced  the  return  of  the  party.  Jimmy  soon  appeared, 
highly  elated,  and  begging  us  to  go  at  once  and  look  at  the 
game.  We  found  it  a  very  fine  buck;  and  Mr.  Poston,  after 
examining  it  attentively  for  a  few  moments,  gravely  re- 
maiked  to  me, — 

"Yes,  that  is  the  animal;  I  should  haTe  recognized  it 
among  a  thousand. "  And  then  turning  to  Jimmy,  re 
quested  him  to  relate  his  story,  which  he  was  nothing  loath 
to  do. 


ROBBED    OF   THE   GLORY. 


179 


As  soon  as  he  reached  the  part  where,  in  his  own  phrase 
ology,  "he  fired  at  the  deer  shure,"  we  all  looked  grave  ami 
incredulous,  bnt  said  not  a  word,  much  to  Jimmy's  surprise 
and  perplexity. 

After  he  had  finished   his  story,  I  turned  to  Mr.  Postou, 


JIMMY  S     TRIAL. 


and  asked  him  if  that  was  the  deer  which  he  had  referred  to. 
He  replied  in  the  affirmative;  and  in  proof  of  his  assertion 
brought  forward  the  two  vaqueros,  whose  testimony  I  gravely 
interpreted  into  English,  to  the  effect  that  the  deer  had  been 
lying  in  the  spot  where  Jimmy  had  found  it  for  more  than 


180  CONVINCED  AGAINST  HIS    WILL. 

4  week;  that  they  had  repeatedly  seen  it  there,  and  that  was 
the  cause  of  their  going  that  way  in  search  of  Jimmy. 

Requesting  Dr.  Parker  to  examine  the  wound,  he  did  so, 
pronouncing  it  to  be  an  old  one,  and  assuring  us  that  the 
deer  must  have  been  dead  some  time,  and  evidently  had 
died  from  weakness  occasioned  by  loss  of  blood. 

Jimmy  was  confounded, — '•  utterly  nonplussed !  In  vain 
did  he  show  the  rifle,  and  declare  "by  the  biissid  Virgin" 
that  he  killed  the  deer.  The  more  he  protested,  the 
stronger  grew  the  evidence  against  him,  until  at  last  the 
poor  fellow  was  made  to  believe  that  he  had  had  no  hand 
in  the  death  of  the  animal,  although  he  remarked,  that 
"this  was  the  most  deciptive  counthry  that  any  mon  iver 
lived  in,  and  that  he  would  like  to  lave  it  at  onct  for  a  place 
where  a  mon's  eyesight  didn't  decade  him  in  the  outrageous 
manner  it  did  here." 

After  convincing  him  beyond  all  doubt,  by  the  most  posi 
tive  evidence,  that  he  did  not  kill  the  deer,  the  vaqueros 
proceeded  to  dress  it,  and  we  feasted  that  night  on  the  most 
delicious  venison  steak  we  had  yet  found  in  the  country ; 
nor  did  we  give  Jimmy  the  credit  he  so  much  deserved  for 
killing  the  deer,  until  some  days  later. 

One  fact  impressed  us  most  forcibly  during  our  visit  to 
this  portion  of  the  Territory,  viz,  all  the  mountains  are,  to 
a  greater  or  less  extent,  exceedingly  rich,  being  filled  with 
valuable  deposits  of  silver  and  gold.  Since  our  visit,  the 


NEED    OF  PROTECTION.  18) 

Heintzleman  mine,  like  all  the  others,  has  been  deserted,  in 
consequence  of  the  depredations  of  the  Apaches.  Ruins 
klone  mark  the  place  which  hut  a  few  years  since  was  the 
home  of  thrift  and  industry.  How  long  this  state  of  affairs 
will  continue,  who  can  tell?  There  is  no  protection  for  life 
or  property  there,  nor  can  I  see  how  the  government  can 
adequately  garrison  such  a  vast  extent  of  territory  as  would 
be  necessary  to  protect  the  mining  interests  in  this  section 
of  the  country.  With  the  experiences  of  the  past,  no  capi 
talists  can  be  found  willing  to  invest  their  money  in  specu 
lations  of  so  uncertain  a  character  as  silver  mining,  without 
protection,  in  Arizona. 

There  are  many  other  mines  equal  in  value  to  those  I  have 
named,  particularly  in  and  around  Arrivacca.  The  Cahua- 
bia,  Bahia,  and,  in  fact,  dozens  of  mines  could  be  mentioned, 
all  rich,  and  lacking  but  one  thing  to  make  them  valuable, — 
protection.  Give  the  silver  mines  of  Arizona  but  this,  and 
there  can  be  no  doubt  but  that  they  would  rival  the  richest 
silver  mines  in  the  world  in  their  productions. 

Leaving  the  Heintzlemau  mine,  we  drove  to  Tubac, 
where  we  remained  for  the  night,  enjoying  the  hospitality 
of  the  Arizona  Mining  Company,  and  early  the  next  morn 
ing  were  on  the  road  once  more  for  Tucson.  It  was  a  beau 
tiful  day,  and  as  we  drove  along,  enjoying  the  delicious 
breeze  from  the  mountains,  we  could  but  exclaim  at  the 
prodigality  with  which  nature  had  bestowed  her  fairest  gifts 


182  JIMMY  VINDICATED. 

upon  a  country,  whose  inhabitants,  like  Tantalus,  were 
doomed  to  see,  but  not  to  enjoy. 

We  spent  the  night  with  our  friend  Bill  May,  who,  after 
administering  to  the  comforts  of  the  inner  man,  entertained 
us  until  a  late  hour  with  a  history  of  the  wild  and  adventur 
ous  life  he  had  led  upon  the  Mexican  frontier,  he  having 
been  one  of  the  few  who  escaped  of  the  party  that  formed 
the  Crabbe  expedition  into  Sonora  in  1851. 

The  next  morning  we  again  started,  and  long  ere  night 
reached  the  Papago  village,  nestled  under  the  shadow  of  the 
spires  of  San  Xavier.  Here  we  remained  for  the  night;  for 
the  sight  of  the  green  fields  and  waving  grain  were  far 
preferable  to  the  mud  walls  and  filthy  surroundings  of 
Tucson.  Jimmy  was  delighted  to  see  the  "king"  .once 
again,  as  he  persistently  called  Old  Jose. 

That  evening,  while  we  were  lying  on  the  grass  watching 
Jimmy  prepare  the  venison  steaks  for  our  supper,  Dr. 
Parker  said  to  him, — 

"Jimmy,  that  is  the  finest  venison  we  have  yet  seen  in 
the  country,  and  we  are  really  indebted  to  you  for  it,  for 
you  killed  it." 

"Did  I  shoot  that  deer  mesilf  ?"  asked  Jimmy,  ^ith  the 
utmost  surprise  depicted  on  his  expressive  features. 

"Yes,  Jimmy,  you  shot  it  yourself." 

"An'  the  ividence  agin  me  wuz  a  lie?" 

"All  a  lie,  Jimmy." 


A  SPANISH  COCK-FIGHT.  183 

"Thin  by  the  powers,"  said  Jimmy,  "don't  I  wish  I  had 
thim  vicarus  here  now  I  To  think  of 'em  thryin*  to  stael 
the  honor  from  a  stranger  in  the  counthry  —  and  they  livin' 
in  it  too.  Wouldn't  I  like  to  give  'em  a  bit  of  an  ould 
Irish  shillalah,  tho'? 

The  only  animosity  Jimmy  exhibited  was  towards  the 
unfortunate  vaqueros,  whose  testimony  had  been  manufac 
tured  by  me  to  suit  the  occasion ;  and  I  very  much  fear  that 
could  he  have  found  them,  he  would  have  administered  the 
sound  drubbing  he  threatened,  in  spite  of  anything  we  could 
do  to  prevent  it. 

In  the  evening  we  attended  vespers  for  the  last  time 
in  the  old  church,  and  once  more  listened  to  the  soul- 
entrancing  music  of  the  Papago  choralists.  After  the  ser 
vice,  we  witnessed  in  the  yard  of  the  church  a  regular 
Spanish  "cock-fight,"  at  which  silver  ounces  freely  changed 
hands.  Each  cock  was  armed  with  the  old-fashioned  Span 
ish  slasher,  a  long,  thin,  steel  blade,  shaped  somewhat  like 
a  hook,  and  most  effective  in  destroying  the  life  of  the  bird 
in  whose  body  it  is  once  sheathed. 

The  priest  who  officiated  at  vespers  was  the  owner  of  the 
winning  cock,  his  opponent  having  been  brought  from 
Tucson.  Of  course  we  congratulated  him  upon  his  good 
fortune,  and  his  hearty  "Mil  gracias,"  convinced  us  that 
his  soul  was  quite  as  much  with  his  bird,  as  it  had  been 
with  his  service. 


CHAPTER    XIII. 


FTER  much  deliberation,  and  many 
arguments  pro  and  con,  Dr.  Parker  and 
myself  finally  decided  to  leave  our 
wagon  and  mules  at  Tucson,  in  charge 
of  Jimmy,  and  take  the  overland  mail- 
coach  to  the  Pimo  villages  on  the 
Gila, —  or  swift  running  water, —  from 
which  place  we  determined  to  start  on 
our  visit  to  the  celebrated  "Casas 
Grandes"  situated  near  that  stream,  which  for  many  years 
have  engaged  the  attention  of  the  scientific  men  and  savans 
of  the  Pacific  coast. 

We  were  not  surprised  to  receive  from  Jimmy  a  most 
earnest,  but  respectful  protest  against  our  leaving  him  in 
what  he  was  pleased  to  term  the  "divil's  own  counthry, 
shure";  and  it  was  a  long  time  before  he  became  reconciled 
to  our  making  the  trip  without  him. 

It  was  at  last  decided,  however,  that  he  should  remain  at 

(184) 


THE   PIMO   INDIANS.  185 

the  mission  of  San  Xavier,  in  the  Papago  settlement;  but 
for  the  safety  of  the  animals,  it  was  thought  best  to  leave 
them  with  Colonel  Robinson,  at  Tucson,  who  very  kindly 
consented  to  look  after  them. 

Arrangements  having  been  concluded,  we  embarked  about 
six  o'clock  in  the  morning,  in  one  of  Butterrield's  coaches, 
for  the  Pimo  villages,  some  ninety  miles  distant.  Our 
ride  thither  was  a  most  uninteresting  one,  beneath  the 
scorching  rays  of  the  sun,  over  a  hard,  gravelly  soil,  cov 
ered  with  a  thick  growth  of  mesquit  and  cactus;  in  fact, 
the  whole  country  was  little  better  than  a  desert,  the  only 
water  found  upon  the  route  being  obtained  from  the  wells 
which  had  been  dug  at  the  mail  stations,  for  the  convenience 
of  watering  their  stock. 

About  daylight  on  the  following  morning,  we  arrived  at 
the  villages;  and,  after  resting  a  little,  and  refreshing  our 
selves  with  a  very  comfortable  sort  of  a  breakfast,  we 
started  out  sight-seeing. 

The  Pimos  have  lived  upon  and  cultivated  this  spot  for 
more  than  three  hundred  years.  Marco  de  Niza  found  them 
here  as  far  back  as  1539.  Father  Kino  also  mentions  them 
in  his  travels;  and  Savidra,  who  spent  much  of  his  life 
among  the  Indians  of  Sonora  and  Arizona,  speaks  of  their 
being  directly  descended  from  the  Montezuma  Indians ;  and 
in  proof  of  this  assertion,  cites  the  cutting  of  the  hair  square 

across  the  forehead,  and  permitting  it  to  grow  long  behind. 
24 


186  FERTILITY  OF   THE   SOIL. 

a  custom  that  prevails  to  some  extent  among  fashionable 
young  ladies  of  the  present  day,  and  which  was,  undoubt 
edly,  derived  from  the  Montezuma  Indians,  who  have,  for 
many  hundred  years,  followed  the  practice,  and  indeed  have 
regarded  it  as  a  distinguishing  trait  of  their  noble  lineage. 

As  early  as  1539,  we  have  accounts  of  the  Pimos  living 
by  cultivating  the  soil;  and  at  the  time  we  visited  them, 
the  United  States  government  had  just  finished  the  sur 
veys  of  a  reservation  embracing  one  hundred  square  leagues 
of  laud,  nearly  all  of  which  was  easily  irrigated,  conse 
quently  susceptible  of  cultivation.  This  reservation  is  about 
twenty -five  miles  long  and  seven  miles  wide,  and  is  situated 
on  both  sides  of  the  Gila. 

Nearly  the  whole  of  the  land  thus  set  apart,  has  been  cul 
tivated  by  these  Indians  for  more  than  three  hundred  years, 
and  still,  without  dressing  of  any  kind,  yields  full  thirty- 
fold  in  crops.  Golonel  Grey,  whom  we  met  here,  and  who 
had  surveyed  the  reservation,  assured  us  that  they  had  at 
least  four  hundred  miles  of  acequias  already  constructed 
upon  the  reservation,  and  for  many  years  had  raised 
fine  crops  of  wheat,  corn,  tobacco,  and  cotton.  Wheat  is 
sown  in  January,  and  harvested  in  May  and  June.  Cotton 
and  tobacco  in  February.  Two  crops  are  always  raised  OD 
the  same  ground  in  a  year. 

There  are  ten  of  these  villages,  composed  of  about 
seventy-five  or  a  hundred  wigwams  each.  These  wigwams 


WIGWAMS  AND  FARMING    UTENSILS.        187 

are  built  of  small  poles,  inserted  in  the  ground,  and  bent 
at  the  top  to  a  common  centre,  interwoven  with  corn-husks, 
straw,  and  rushes,  so  as  to  shed  the  rain,  and  protect  the 
inmates  from  the  intense  heat  of  the  sun.  Many  of  them 
are  also  plastered  over  with  mud.  The  doors  are  just  large 
enough  to  enable  a  person  to  creep  in  on  hands  and  knees. 
The  cooking  is  all  done  in  the  open  air,  beneath  a  shed  or 
roof. 

Every  family  has  a  granary,  or  store-house,  which  is 
much  larger  and  better  constructed  than  their  huts,  and 
which,  in  fact,  they  use  for  sleeping  purposes,  as  well  as  for 
shelter  from  inclement  weather. 

There  are  about  six  thousand  of  these  Indians,  and  they 
have  nearly  a  thousand  separate  enclosures,  which  are 
divided  by  very  excellent  fences,  made  of  crooked  sticks 
and  mesquit.  They  have  but  few  animals,  and  never  use 
the  plough,  the  hoe  being  the  only  agricultural  implement 
they  possess,  except  a  few  carts,  which  they  have  obtained 
from  the  emigrant  trains  passing  through  their  villages ;  and 
yet,  during  the  year  of  our  visit,  they  had  sold  the  mail  com 
pany  more  than  four  hundred  thousand  pounds  of  wheat,  be 
sides  large  quantities  of  corn,  beans,  pumpkins,  and  melons. 

When  we  reflect  that  this  soil  has  been  cultivated  for 
nearly  four  hundred  years  that  we  have  knowledge  of,  with 
only  the  hoe,  and  without  dressing,  we  can  form  some  iden 
of  its  fertility  and  productiveness. 


188  BRAVERY  OF   THE   PEOPLE. 

The  Pimos  are  not  wanting  in  courage,  and  many  a  sounu 
whipping  have  the  Apaches  received  at  their  hands.  Their 
only  weapon  is  the  bow  and  arrow,  in  the  use  of  which  tiiey 
are  very  expert.  They  have  always  been  very  friendly  to 
the  whites,  and  have  frequently  aided  them  in  recovering 
property  stolen  by  the  Apaches,  and  have  also  protected 
emigrant  trains  through  the  villages  to  Fort  Yuma,  when 
our  government  was  powerless  to  do  it. 

These  Indians  manufacture  certain  kinds  of  pottery-ware, 
also  beautiful  baskets,  blankets,  and  cotton- cloth.  The 
work  is  nearly  all  done  by  the  women.  The  men,  as  a  gen 
eral  thing,  go  naked,  excepting  the  breech-clout;  the  women 
wear  about  their  loins  a  piece  of  cotton-cloth,  falling  to  the 
knees,  and  fastened  at  the  waist  by  a  girdle,  or  belt;  and 
usually  possess  fine,  well-developed  forms. 

We  spent  the  entire  day  in  looking  about  the  villages,  and 
in  organizing  a  party  to  visit  the  "Casas  Grandest  which 
are  situated  near  the  River,  about  twenty-five  miles  above 
the  Pimo  villages.  Colonel  Buckley,  the  superintendent 
of  the  California  division  of  the  overland  mail,  very  kindly 
furnished  us  with  mules  and  an  outfit  for  the  trip,  and  our 
numbers  were  increased  by  the  addition  of  two  Pimos,  who 
were  to  act  as  guides,  and  a  Mr.  St.  John,  who  had  been 
appointed  by  the  government  to  superintend  and  instruct 
the  Pimos  in  agricultural  pursuits. 

Our   party,  consisting   of  five  persons,  started   early  the 


TEE   "HOUSES   OF  MONTE  ZUMA."  189 

next  morning  on  the  trip.  Keeping  along  the  bank  of 
the  river,  travelling  through  dense  groves  of  mesquit  and 
cotton-wood,  we  made  during  the  day  about  eighteen  miles, 
and  camped  at  night  in  a  beautiful  grove  on  the  banks  of 
the  Gila. 

The  next  morning,  after  following  the  course  of  the  river 
for  several  miles,  we  came  upon  the  remains  of  a  very  large 
acequia,  which  we  traced  for  a  long  distance,  through  a 
plain  now  overgrown  by  mesquit,  but  showing  unmistaka 
ble  evidences  of  having  at  some  time  been  extensively 
cultivated. 

All  over  the  plain  we  found  hundreds  of  branch  acequias, 
together  with  marks  of  former  habitations,  broken  pottery- 
ware,  and  stone  metattes. 

About  noon  we  came  in  sight  of  three  immense  build 
ings,  which  our  guide  assured  us  were  the  "houses  of 
Montezuma";  and  we  could  but  gaze  upon  them  with  won 
der  and  awe,  for  never  before  had  we  seen  anything  so 
wonderful  as  these  relics  of  an  extinct  race,  of  whom  we 
have  no  reliable  history,  and  no  knowledge  save  traditionary 
legends. 

The  houses  are  situated  on  a  slight  eminence,  and  are 
about  three  or  four  hundred  feet  apart.  They  are  built  of 
a  species  of  concrete,  made  of  mud  and  gravel,  while  the 
timber,  or  rafters,  used  in  their  construction,  are  of  cedar, 
and  well  preserved. 


190  ME.   BAETLETTS  DESCRIPTION. 

The  largest  of  these  was,  undoubtedly,  at  the  time  it  was 
built,  four  stories  in  height;  and  there  are  walls  now  stand 
ing,  to  the  height  of  fifty  feet. 

Mr.  Bartlett,  who  visited  these  ruins  in  '52,  has  given 
such  a  full  and  minute  description  of  them,  that  I  purpose 
giving  it  in  these  pages,  well  satisfied  that  the  reader  can 
gain  a  better  idea  of  these  remarkable  structures  than  he 
could  do  from  any  description  of  mine.  He  says:  "The 
Casas  Grandes,  or  great  houses,  consist  of  three  buildings, 
all  included  within  a  space  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  yards. 
The  principal  and  largest  one  is  in  the  best  state  of  pres 
ervation;  its  four  exterior  walls,  and  most  of  the  inner  ones, 
are  still  standing.  A  considerable  portion  of  the  uppei 
part  of  the  walls  have  crumbled  away  and  fallen  inwards. 
Three  stories  now  remain,  and  there  was  a  fourth,  which 
has  nearly  all  crumbled  away.  The  central  portion,  or 
tower,  is  about  ten  feet  higher  than  the  walls,  which  at 
their  base  are  from  four  to  five  feet  thick.  The  inside  is 
perpendicular,  while  the  exterior  face  tapers  in  a  curved 
line  towards  the  top. 

"All  the  walls  are  laid  with  large,  square  blocks  of  mud, 
prepared  for  the  purpose  by  pressing  the  material  into  large 
boxes  about  two  feet  in  height  and  four  feet  long.  When 
the  mud  becomes  sufficiently  hardened,  the  cases  are  moved 
along  and  again  filled,  and  so  on  until  the  whole  edifice  is 
completed.  The  material  for  the  buildings  is  the  mud  of 


HOW  THEY    WERE    CONSTRUCTED. 


191 


the  valley  mixed  with  gravel,  which  is  very  adhesive,  and 
when  dry,  very  durable. 

"The  outer  surface  of  the  walls  appears  to  have  been  plas 
tered  roughly,  but  the  inside  is  hard  finished.  This  is  done 
with  a  composition  of  adobe,  and  is  still  as  smooth  as  when 


n 


PLAN    AND    ELEVATION. 


first  made,  and  has  quite  a  polish.  On  one  of  the  walls  are 
drawn  rude  figures,  but  no  inscriptions.  From  the  charred 
ends  of  the  beams  that  remain  in  the  walls,  it  is  evident 
the  buildings  were  destroyed  by  fire. 

"Some  of  the  lintels  over  the  doors  are  formed  of  sticks  of 


192  HOW  THEY    WERE    CONSTRUCTED. 

wood  stripped  of  their  bark,  but  showing  no  signs  of  the  use 
of  any  sharp  instrument  in  their  construction.  The  beams 
that  supported  the  floors  were  about  five  inches  in  diameter, 
and  placed  about  the  same  number  of  inches  apart,  and  tho 
ends  inserted  deep  in  the  walls.  Most  of  the  apartments  are 
connected  by  doors,  beside  which  there  are  circular  openings 
in  the  upper  part  of  the  chambers,  to  admit  light  and  air." 

The  ground-plan  of  the  buildings  shows  that  all  the  apart 
ments  were  long  and  narrow,  and  without  windows. 

The  imier  rooms  were  undoubtedly  used  for  store 
rooms.  There  were  four  entrances  to  each  of  the  buildings. 
The  door  on  the  western  side  was  but  two  feet  wide  :md 
eight  feet  high;  while  all  the  others  were  three  fetfc  wide, 
and  but  five  feet  high,  and  all  tapering  towards  the  top,  a 
peculiarity  belonging  to  the  ancient  edidces  of  Central 
America  and  Yucatan.  With  the  exception  of  these  doors, 
there  are  no  exterior  openings,  save  on  the  western  side 
where  there  are  circular  windows,  like  those  before  de 
scribed.  Over  the  doorway  in  the  third  story,  there  was  a 
square  window,  and  on  either  side  of  this  two  circulai 
openings.  The  southern  front  has  fallen  in  several  places; 
the  other  three  fronts  are  quite  perfect. 

The  walls  at  the  base,  particularly  at  the  corners,  have 
crumbled  away  to  the  extent  of  twelve  or  fourteen  inches, 
and  are  only  held  together  by  their  great  thickness. 

The  moisture  in  these  portions  causes   disintegration   to 


CAUSE    OF   THEIR  DECAY.  193 

take  place  more  rapidly  than  in  any  other  part  of  the  build 
ings;  and  in  a  few  years,  as  these  walls  become  undermined, 
the  whole  structure  must  fall,  and  become  a  mere  rounded 
heap,  like  those  that  are  seen  upon  the  plains  around  in  all 
directions.  A  few  days'  labor  spent  in  restoring  the  walls 
at  the  base  with  mud  and  gravel,  would  render  this  inter 
esting  monument  as  durable  as  brick,  and  enable  it  to  stand 
for  a  long  while.  It  is  known  to  have  existed  in  its  present 
state  for  more  than  a  century. 

The  exterior  dimensions  of  the  largest  building  are  fifty 
feet  from  north  to  south,  and  forty  feet  from  east  to  west. 
On  the  ground-floor  are  five  apartments,  those  on  the  north 
and  south  sides  measuring  thirty-two  feet  by  ten  feet.  All 
are  open  to  the  sky,  nor  is  there  any  appearance  of  a  stair 
way  on  any  of  the  walls.  The  means  of  entrance  to  the 
upper  apartments  was  undoubtedly  from  the  outside. 

A  few  hundred  feet  to  the  southwest  is  a  second  building, 
in  a  complete  state  of  ruin,  while  to  the  northeast  of  the 
main  building  is  a  third  one,  which  without  doubt  was  a 
watch-tower.  As  far  as  the  eye  can  reach  in  every  direc 
tion,  are  seen  heaps  of  ruined  edifices,  with  but  small  por 
tions  of  their  walls  standing. 

To  the  northwest,  about  two  hundred  yards  distant,  is  a 
circular  embankment,  from  two  hundred  and  forty  to  three 
hundred  feet  in  circumference,  supposed  to  be  the  remains 
of  a  corral,  or  enclosure  for  cattle. 
25 


194  SHROUDED   IN  MYSTERY. 

The  plains  are  everywhere  strewn  with  broken  pottery 
and  metattes.  The  pottery  is  red,  white,  lead  color,  and 
black.  The  figures  are  geometrical,  formed  with  taste,  and 
are  similar  to  those  found  on  the  Salinas,  forty  miles  north 
of  this  place. 

The  texture  of  the  pottery  is  very  fine,  and  much  of  it  is 
painted  on  the  inside,  a  peculiarity  found  only  here.  The 
origin  of  these  buildings  is  shrouded  in  mystery.  When 
first  discovered  by  the  early  explorers  of  the  Territory,  they 
were  much  the  same  as  in  their  present  condition;  and  the 
Indians  affirmed  that  they  had  then  been  built  five  hundred 
years. 

One  thing  is  evident,  viz.  the  entire  valley  of  the  Gila, 
as  well  as  that  of  the  Salinas,  was  at  one  time  densely  pop 
ulated.  The  ruined  buildings,  the  acequias,  the  quantities 
of  pottery  found,  all  prove  this  supposition.  In  fact,  the 
whole  country  for  hundreds  of  miles  around  shows  traces 
of  extinct  civilization,  and  fills  the  mind  of  the  traveller 
with  the  most  perplexing  questions. 

What  race  of  people  dwelt  here?  By  whom  were  these 
decaying  walls  erected  ?  Who  constructed  the  many  thou 
sand  miles  of  acequias?  How  did  they  live,  and  where  are 
they  now?  are  questions  that  suggest  themselves  at  every 
step;  and  as  yet  they  have  never  been  satisfactorily 
answered. 

It  seems  to  me  that  our  government  ought  to  take  some 


PEDRO  FONTS  DESCRIPTION.  195 

measures  towards  solving  this  great  mystery,  as  well  au 
preserving  these  monuments  of  an  extinct  people. 

Father  Pedro  Font,  who,  in  the  years  1775  and  1776,  made 
a  journey  from  Sonora  to  Monterey  in  California,  visited  the 
ruins,  and  thus  speaks  of  them  in  a  manuscript  copy  of  his 
journal,  which  is  to  be  found  in  one  of  the  old  missions  in 
Los  Angeles:  — 

"The  commandant  determined  that  we  should  rest  to-day, 
and  examine  the  large  buildings  called  Montezuma's  Houses, 
situated  one  league  from  the  Gila,  and  three  leagues  east- 
southeast  from  the  Laguna. 

"We  were  accompanied  by  the  Governor  Uturituc,  who 
gave  us  the  tradition  of  these  houses,  which  I  here  give. 

"The  palace,  or  house  of  Montezuma,  was  built  more  than 
five  hundred  years  ago.  The  buildings  were  erected  by  the 
Aztecs,  when,  during  their  transmigration,  the  devil  led 
them  through  various  countries,  until  they  arrived  at  the 
promised  land  in  Mexico;  and  in  their  long  sojourn,  they 
formed  towns  and  built  these  edifices. 

"The  site  on  which  the  houses  are  built  is  level  on  all 
sides,  and  at  a  distance  of  a  league  from  the  Gila.  They 
extend  for  leagues  towards  the  cardinal  points,  and  the  land 
is  partially  covered  with  pieces  of  pots,  jars,  plates,  etc., 
some  common,  and  others  painted  in  white,  blue,  and  red 
colors,  which  is  a  sign  that  there  has  been  a  large  town, 
inhabited  by  a  distinct  people  from  the  Pimos  of  the  River 


196          ANOTHER    TRAVELLERS  ACCOUNT. 

Gila,  who  do  not  know  how  to  manufacture  such  earthen 
ware.  We  made  a  survey  of  one  building,  which  we  meas 
ured  with  a  lance,  and  the  measure  I  afterwards  reduced 
to  geometrical  feet,  which  gave  nearly  the  following  results. 

"The  house  forms  an  oblong  square,  facing  exactly  to  the 
four  cardinal  points,  east,  west,  north,  and  south.  Around 
it  there  are  ruins,  indicating  a  fence  or  walls,  which 
surrounded  the  buildings,  particularly  in  the  corners, 
where  it  appears  there  has  been  some  edifice  like  an  in 
terior  castle,  or  watch-tower;  for  in  the  angle  which  faces 
towards  the  southwest,  there  stands  a  ruin  with  its  divis 
ions  and  an  upper  story.  The  exterior  wall  extends  from 
north  to  south  four  hundred  and  twenty  feet,  and  from  east 
to  west  two  hundred  and  sixty  feet.  The  interior  of  the 
house  consists  of  five  walls,  the  three  middle  ones  being  of 
one  size,  and  the  two  extreme  ones  longer.  The  middle 
ones  are  ten  feet  in  breadth  from  east  to  west,  and  twenty- 
six  feet  in  length  from  north  to  south.  The  two  extreme 
ones  measure  twelve  feet  from  north  to  south,  and  thirty- 
eight  from  east  to  west." 

Mangi,  who,  in  company  with  Father  Kino,  visited  the 
Territory  in  1674,  says  of  it:  "There  was  one  great  edifice, 
in  which  our, good  Father  Kino  said  mass.  The  principal 
room  is  in  the  middle  of  four  stories,  with  the  adjoining 
rooms  on  its  four  sides  of  three  stories,  with  the  walls 
two  yards  in  thickness  of  strong  mortar  and  clay,  so  smooth 


EXTENT   OF   THE  POPULATION.  197 

and  shining  that  they  appeared  like  burnished  tables,  and  so 
polished  that  they  shone  like  the  earthenware  of  Puebla. 

"A*  the  distance  of  an  arbequebus  shot,  twelve  other 
houses  are  to  be  seen,  half-fallen,  having  thick  walls,  and 
all  the  ceilings  burnt,  except  in  the  lower  room  of  one 
house,  which  is  of  round  timbers,  smooth  and  not  thick, 
which  appear  to  be  of  cedar  or  savin ;  and  over  these,  stick? 
of  very  equal  size,  and  a  cake  of  mortar,  or  hard  clay, 
making  a  roof  or  ceiling  of  great  ingenuity. 

"In  the  environs  are  to  be  seen  many  other  ruins  and  heaps 
of  broken  earth,  which  circumscribe  it  two  leagues,  with 
much  earthenware  of  plates  and  pots  of  fine  clay,  painted  of 
many  colors,  and  which  resemble  in  form  and  texture  the 
jars  of  Guadalajara,  in  Spain. 

"It  may  be  inferred  that  the  population  was  very  large; 
and  that  it  was  of  one  government,  is  shown  by  a  canal 
which  comes  from  the  river  by  the  plain,  running  around 
for  the  distance  of  three  leagues,  and  inclosing  the  inhabit 
ants  in  its  area,  being  in  breadth  ten  varas,*  and  about 
four  varas  in  depth,  through  which  was,  perhaps,  directed 
one-third  the  volume  of  the  river,  in  such  a  manner  that  it 
might  serve  for  a  defensive  moat,  as  well  as  to  supply  the 
wards  with  water,  and  irrigate  the  plantations  in  the 
adjacencies." 

This  was  the  condition  in  which  Mangi  and  Father  Kino 

*  Twenty-seven  feet. 


198  RETURN  TO   TUCSON. 

found  these  ruins  in  1674.  In  1775,  more  than  a  hundred 
years  later,  Father  Font  describes  them.  Bartlett  describes 
them  as  he  found  them  in  1851.  The  writer  found  them  in 
about  the  same  condition  in  1859,  with  the  exception  of  the 
south  wall,  no  part  of  which  was  then  standing;  all  the  re 
maining  walls  have  upon  them  the  hieroglyphics  of  ambitious 
Americans,  who  have  greatly  defaced  the  smooth  polished 
surface  by  inscribing  their  names  or  marks  upon  them. 
We  were  rather  desirous  of  visiting  the  ruins  on  the 

o 

Salinas,  about  forty  miles  above  those  of  the  "Oasas 
Grandes" ;  but  after  repeated  assurances  from  Mr.  St.  John 
and  our  Pimo  guides,  that  the  visit  with  so  small  a  party 
would  be  the  height  of  imprudence,  and  not  caring  to  risk 
an  encounter  with  the  Apaches,  we  reluctantly  turned  our 
backs  upon  the  ruins,  en  route  once  more  for  the  Pimo  vil 
lages,  which  we  reached  on  the  evening  of  the  next  day, 
quite  satisfied  with  our  journey,  and  anxious  to  reach  Tuc 
son,  where  we  hoped  to  find  Jimmy  with  the  mules  all  safe, 
and  ready  to  start  for  the  Mesilla. 

We  were  obliged,  however,  to  remain  still  longer  in  the 
villages,  as  no  stage  east  was  due  until  the  following  day;  so 
making  the  best  of  it,  we  found  comfortable  bunks  in  the 
station  of  the  mail  company,  and  the  next  day  we  spent 
among  the  Pimos,  learning  what  we  could  of  their  history 
and  manner  of  living,  and  gathering  much  interesting  infor 
mation  concerning  them. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


HE  Pimos,  the  Maricopas,  the  Ouch- 
ans,  the  Mojaves,  and  Papagoes, 
are  without  doubt  all  "Montezuma 
Indians,"  as  they  call  themselves. 
They  all  speak  a  similar  language, 
all  cut  their  hair  short  in  front, 
wearing  it  long  behind,  and  all  cul 
tivate  the  soil  to  a  greater  or  les* 
extent, —  thereby  showing  an  affinity  with  the  Moquis,  Zunis, 
and  other  Pueblo  Indians  in  Northern  Arizona  and  New 
Mexico. 

We  met  here  an  old  Indian  who  had  acted  as  guide  to  Mr. 
Bartlett  in  1852.  In  conversing  with  him,  we  learned  that  on 
the  Rio  San  Francisco,  as  well  as  on  the  Verde  and  Salinas, 
were  found  ruins  quite  similar  in  their  general  features  to 
those  upon  the  Gila;  and  that  they  are  also  to  be  found  ex 
tending  far  into  the  Navajoe  country.  Indeed,  there  can  be 
no  question  but  that  this  whole  country  was  once  settled  with 

O99) 


200     EVIDENCES  OF  EXTINCT  CIVILIZATION. 

a  dense  population  far  enough  advanced  in  civilization  to 
build  houses  four  stories  in  height;  to  surround  them  with 
outworks  for  defence;  to  irrigate  the  land  by  building  canals 
miles  in  length;  to  manufacture  cotton-cloth,  as  well  as  fine 
earthenware,  and  ornaments  of  gold  and  silver.  But  who 
they  were,  whence  they  came,  and  whither  they  went,  are 
queries  yet  to  be  solved.  They  have  left  behind  them  abso 
lutely  nothing  from  which  we  can  derive  any  authentic 
information.  A  great  many  valuable  relics  have  been  found 
among  the  ruins,  some  of  them  extremely  beautiful.  Hand 
somely-carved  pipes,  bottles  shaped  like  turtles,  or  made  to 
represent  animals,  curiously  painted  and  colored  to  the  life, 
drinking  cups,  ladles,  and  many  other  utensils  of  household 
ware,  are  among  the  articles  found. 

We  very  much  regretted  that  we  were  unable  to  visit  the 
ruins  upon  the  Salinas,  which,  we  were  informed,  were  more 
extensive  than  those  of  the  Casas  Grandes;  but  we  found 
that  those  who  knew  the  country  best,  thought  it  unsafe  to 
attempt  a  visit  with  less  than  a  party  of  thirty,  so  we  re 
luctantly  gave  up  the  trip. 

When  I  told  the  Pimos  of  my  visit  to  the  Apache  ran- 
cheria,  they  seemed  to  be  astounded;  but  when  I  afterwards 
informed  them  that  Cochise  was  my  guide,  their  astonishment 
subsided,  as  it  was  generally  conceded  by  them  that  Cochise 
had  quite  as  much  influence  with  the  Final  and  Tonto 
Apaches  as  Mangus  Colorado  himself ;  and  that  at  no  distant 


FELIX  AUBREY'S    GOLDEN  BULLETS.        201 

day  he  was  destined  to  become  their  principal  war-chief,  a 
prediction  which,  I  regret  to  say,  has  since  been  fulfilled. 

Many  questions  were  asked  concerning  their  rancheria; 
and  from  the  description  I  was  enabled  to  give'  them  of  it, 
they  came  to  the  conclusion  that  it  was  situated  in  the  very 
heart  of  the  gold-bearing  region  of  Arizona.  Indeed,  it  was 
no  uncommon  thing  for  Apaches  to  come  into  Tucson  with 
nuggets  of  gold  weighing  from  ten  pennyweights  to  half  a 
pound,  which  they  would  freely  barter  for  anything  that  hap 
pened  to  please  their  fancy,  always,  however,  refusing  to 
give  any  information  as  to  the  portion  of  country  from 
whence  they  had  obtained  it. 

One  Felix  Aubrey,  who  explored  the  country  quite  ex 
tensively  in  1849  and  '50,  tells  many  marvellous  stories  of 
the  quantities  of  gold  which  he  found  near  the  head-waters 
of  the  Gila,  and  also  of  the  large  amount  then  in  possession 
of  the  Indians.  He  received  nearly  fifteen  hundred  dollars1 
worth  of  gold  for  some  old  clothing  that  he  sold  to 
them.  He  published  a  journal  of  his  travels  in  1853,  in 
which  he  tells  of  Indians  that  used  gold  for  bullets  in  kill 
ing  their  game,  whenever  they  were  unable  to  obtain  lead, 
a  story  which  has  since  been  corroborated  by  others  who 
have  attempted  to  penetrate  into  the  country.  In  1856, 
Aubrey  set  about  organizing  an  expedition  to  visit  the  gold 
bearing  portion  of  Central  Arizona;  but,  before  completing 
the  undertaking,  he  was  killed  in  a  broil  at  Santa  Fe. 
26 


202  PLENTIFULNESS   OF  GOLD. 

Numerous  attempts  have  been  made  to  penetrate  this 
wonderful  region  since  Aubrey's  visit  there,  but  not  one  of 
them  has  ever  been  successful.  The  explorers  have  either 
been  obliged  to  return  after  enduring  almost  incredible 
hardships,  or  have  perished  by  the  hands  of  the  Apaches. 

I  have  myself  seen  pieces  of  gold  in  the  possession  of 
Apaches,  weighing  nearly  half  a  pound,  which  they  made  but 
little  account  of,  being  ready  to  exchange  it  for  any  trifle 
that  struck  their  fancy;  and  without  doubt,  if  this  portion  of 
country  could  be  explored,  gold  would  be  found  to  exist  in 
as  great  abundance  as  it  did  in  California  in  '49.  The 
entire  region  north  of  the  Gila,  and  east  of  the  Rio  Verde, 
must  be  full  of  silver  and  gold.  We  know  that  veins  of 
silver  have  been  found  in  the  vicinity  of  Forts  Yuma  and 
Mojave  that  have  yielded  immensely,  and  that  protection  is 
the  only  thing  needed  to  develop  them  into  mines  of  great 
value.  There  are  always  adventurers  in  any  new  country 
ready  to  take  their  "lives  in  their  hands,"  if  they  can  have 
some  show, —  at  least  five  or  ten  chances  in  a  hundred;  but 
with  the  condition  of  affairs  that  have  existed  in  Arizona 
for  the  past  ten  years,  their  chances  would  scarcely  be  one 
in  a  hundred. 

Gold  was  discovered  on  the  Gila  only  the  year  before  our 
visit  there,  and  in  less  than  a  month  Gila  City  was  born, 
with  a  population  of  a  thousand  persons.  It  didn't  pay, 
though.  Water  was  scarce,  and  the  dirt  to  be  washed  had 


JIMMY  LOSES  FAITH  IN  THE  KING.         203 

to  be  carried  down  to  the  river,  which  in  a  few  weeks  dried 
up,  and  so  did  the  diggings.  One  after  another  of  the 
miners  departed,  the  traders  shut  up  their  stores,  the 
saloon-keepers  drank  their  own  whiskey,  the  Jews  closed 
out  their  stock  of  goods  for  another  exodus,  the  gamblers 
starved  over  their  monte-tables ;  and  so  the  bubble  burst, 
and  the  city  which  came  up  like  a  mushroom  was  deserted, 
and  all  that  was  left  to  mark  the  spot  where  "pay  dirt"  had 
been  found,  was  mud  chimneys  and  rubbish. 

About  one  o'clock  the  horn  was  heard,  announcing  the 
arrival  of  the  San  Francisco  stage,  and  in  an  hour  we  were 
seated  behind  five  mules,  on  our  return  to  Tucson,  where*we 
arrived  about  noon  of  the  next  day.  We  found  our  animals 
all  right,  and  only  Jimmy  was  wanting  to  enable  us  to  start 
at  once  on  our  return  to  La  Mesilla.  Colonel  Robinson 
dispatched  a  Mexican  to  notify  him  of  our  arrival,  and 
before  night  Jimmy  was  with  us,  quite  as  delighted  to  see 
us  as  we  by  any  possibility  could  be  to  see  him.  \Ye  ques 
tioned  him  concerning  his  stay  with  "the  king,"  but  found 
him  unusually  reticent,  and  evidently  not  inclined  to  say 
much  on  tlie  subject. 

That  night,  however,  while  leaning  over  the  mud  wall  of 
Colonel  Robinson's  corral,  enjoying  the  light  of  an  Arizona 
moon,  Jimmy  confidentially  informed  Dr.  Parker  and  myself 
that  "the  king  was  an  ould  humbug;  that  he  didn't  know 
how  to  trate  a  gintlemin  at  all,  at  all,  and  had  trated  hin? 


204        NED   MC  GO  WAN  AND  PHIL   HERBERT. 

like  a  peon;  that  he  was  a  nasty  baste,  goin'  round  the 
house  naked  as  he  was  horned.  No  king  ivir  did  that  in 
ould  Ireland,"  said  Jimmy;  "and  if  the  old  hay  thin  hadn't 
so  many  of  thim  sneakin'  Injuns  round,  I  should  have  bin 
jist  timpted  to  have  given  him  a  touch  of  a  raeal  ould  Irish 
shillalah." 

Poor  Jimmy !  He  had  learned  that  a  little  brief  author 
ity  will  make  itself  felt  wherever  it  can,  and  that  Jimmy 
alone  was  a  far  different  person  in  the  eyes  of  old  Jos6 
than  the  Jimmy  who  accompanied  Dr.  Parker  and  myself 
on  our  visit  to  the  old  mission  of  San  Xavier  del  Bac. 

After  debating  the  matter  with  Dr.  Parker,  we  finally 
decided  to  spend  the  next  day  at  Tucson,  accepting  the 
hospitality  of  Colonel  Robinson,  who  very  kindly  offered  to 
show  us  around  the  town,  and  introduce  us  to  some  of  the 
celebrities  of  the  city.  During  the  day  we  met  Phil  Herbert, 
formerly  a  member  of  Congress  from  California,  the  man 
who,  during  his  term  of  service,  killed  one  of  the  waiters 
at  Willard's  Hotel,  in  Washington.  He  appeared  genial 
and  companionable,  but  those  best  acquainted  with  him  said 
he  was  atoning  for  his  "mistake  of  a  life-time,"  by  that 
bitter  remorse  which  always  follows  in  the  wake  of  an 
action  like  that  committed  by  Herbert.  In  any  event,  he 
was  doing  his  utmost  to  drown  the  memory  of  the  deed  in 
the  dissipation  offered  in  a  life  on  the  Arizona  frontier. 

Ned    McGowan  was  another  Calif ornian  character.     He 


A   DEAD    COLONEL.  205 

and  Phil  were  firm  friends  and  boon  companions.  After 
Ned  had  subsisted  for  months  on  roots  and  berries  in  the 
Californian  mountains,  enduring  every  hardship,  and  suc 
cessfully  evading  the  clutches  of  the  Vigilance  Committee, 
ho  finally  managed  to  escape  into  Arizona,  a  place  where  the 
statutes  never  trouble,  and  the  wicked  are  at  rest.  It  was 
said,  that  though  Ned  had  killed  at  least  a  dozen  men  in  his 
life,  he  never  killed  one  save  in  behalf  of  some  friend's 
quarrel. 

Here,  too,  was  Lieutenant-Colonel  Johnson,  Kinney's 
lieutenant  in  his  celebrated  Nicaragua  expedition,  a  few 
years  before.  He  had  sought  an  asylum  in  Arizona,  where 
he  was  living,  apparently  happy  and  comfortable. 

"NVe  also  met  Ex-Governor  Gandcra,  the  last  governor  of 
Sonora.  He  was  an  exile  from  home,  anxiously  waiting 
for  the  newly-appointed  governor  to  send  him  a  permit  to 
return  to  his  family. 

But  why  particularize?  Many  there  were,  all  distin 
guished  for  something, — all  characters  of  some  kind.  One 
might  write  a  book  concerning  them,  but  who  would  care 
to  read  it? 

Within  an  hour  after  we  left  Colonel  Johnson,  a  report 
reached  us  that  he  had  been  killed  by  our  friend,  Colonel 
Robinson,  and  so  it  proved. 

As  we  stood  beside  the  body,  which,  but  an  hour  before, 
we  had  seen  so  full  of  life  and  activity,  we  could  but  fee] 


206  STATE    OF   TUCSON  SOCIETY. 

that  we  had  tarried  at  Tucson  quite  as  long  as  we  cared  to, 
and  were  nothing  loath  to  take  our  leave.  We  made  no  in 
quiries  into  the  cause  of  the  difficulty.  The  verdict  of  the 
people  was,  that  Colonel  Robinson  was  justified,  and  no 
further  notice  was  taken  of  the  affair.  We  had  learned  the 
lesson  never  to  see  nor  hear  in  Arizona,  and  it  had  more  than 
once  served  us  a  good  turn. 

In  a  conversation  that  night  with  Colonel  Douglas,  who 
resided  on  a  beautiful  ranche  a  few  miles  below  Tucson,  we 
learned  that  more  than  thirty  persons  had  been  killed  there 
within  the  past  year  ;  and  the  colonel  added,  as  an  excuse 
for  this  wholesale  slaughter,  that  "some  of  the  fellers  killed 
was  awful  provokin' ! " 

In  addition  to  the  other  excitements  of  the  day,  we 
were  told  that  a  woman  who  had  been  carried  off  by  the 
Apaches  some  time  before  had  been  retaken  and  brought 
into  town  in  a  starving  condition.  'Of  course  we  went  to 
see  her,  and  a  most  pitiable  object  she  was.  The  sight  of 
her  emaciated  form,  and  staring,  hungry  eyes,  was  enough 
to  make  any  one  who  saw  her,  swear  vengeance  on  the 
whole  Apache  race.  I  visited  her  again  a  few  hours  later,  and 
much  to  my  surprise  she  recognized  me ;  and  I  found  upon 
inquiry,  that  she  was  one  of  old  Pennington's  daughters, 
whose  story  I  have  related  in  a  former  chapter. 

Notwithstanding  the  unpleasant  scenes  of  the  day,  we 
passed  a  very  pleasant  evening,  in  company  with  Colonel 


\YE   START  FOR  DRAGOON  SPRINGS.         207 

Douglas  and  Captain  Ewell,  he  who  had  rescued  Mrs.  Paige, 
and  brought  her  into  Tucson.  'Twas  not  until  long  after 
midnight  that  the  doctor  and  myself  sought  our  blankets, 
quite  satisfied  that  we  had  seen  enough  of  Tucson,  and  thor 
oughly  resolved  to  make  an  early  start  in  the  morning. 

As  we  were  preparing  to  leave  town  the  next  day,  an 
orderly  from  Captain  Ewell  appeared,  with  that  gentle 
man's  compliments,  and  saying  that  the  captain  had  deter 
mined  upon  going  East  as  far  as  the  Dragoon  Springs,  a 
station  of  the  Overland  Mail  Company,  situated  upon  our 
direct  route,  and,  if  agreeable,  he  should  be  happy  to  act  as 
our  escort.  We  joyfully  accepted  the  proposition,  and  five 
o'clock  found  us  on  the  road,  our  number  having  been 
augmented  by  thirty-two  dragoons,  which  with  our  train, 
consisting  of  six  wagons,  made  quite  an  imposing  and  for 
midable  appearance. 

Our  journey  was  not  without  incident  worthy  of  note. 
There  was  always  something  to  relieve  the  monotony  in  the 
mountain  scenery,  which  was  as  grand  and  beautiful  as  the 
most  enthusiastic  admirer  could  desire.  The  huge  rough 
and  jagged  peaks  that  towered  around  us  were  toned  and 
softened  by  the  purple  haze  that  enshrouded  them  into  per 
fect  models  of  architectural  beauty.  Here  an  apparently 
impregnable  fortress,  standing  high  in  the  air,  with  its 
frowning  battlements,  grand  in  their  massive  strength, 
would  suddenly  and  almost  imperceptibly  assume  the  shape 


208  INDIANS  AHEAD. 

of  a  beautiful  castle,  or  perchance  a  graceful  Turkish  mosque, 
with  its  towers  and  minarets,  its  domes  and  arches,  so  per 
fect  that  we  could  but  gaze  in  wonder  at  the  transforma 
tion,  so  enchanting,  yet  so  instantaneous.  Close  by,  barren 
hills  of  gravel  and  sandstone,  serrated  by  floods,  and  worn 
by  storms  into  perfect  honeycombs,  were  to  be  seen;  while 
here  and  there  a  magnificent  Cereus  Grandes,  the  sentinel 
of  the  desert,  reared  its  head  twenty,  thirty,  and  even  forty 
feet  in  the  air,  covered  with  beautifully  variegated  blossoms, 
and  looking  like  some  graceful  shaft  erected  by  nature 
herself,  and  decked  with  beautiful  wreaths,  that  she  might 
add  a  charm  to  the  sterility  of  the  soil,  or  perhaps  the  bright 
scarlet  blossoms  of  a  prickly-pear  would  be  seen  peeping 
out  from  behind  the  gray  green  of  the  mesquit,  the  whole, 
like  the  mountains,  overhung  by  the  rich  purple  tints  of  an 
Arizona  atmosphere,  relieved  only  by  the  clear  blue  smoke 
lazily  ascending  from  the  Indian  camp-fires  on  the  mountain 
sides  around  us.  Altogether,  it  was  a  picture  both  beau 
tiful  and  pleasant  to  contemplate:  and  'twas  with  no  small 
degree  of  vexation  that  we  heard  one  of  the  scouts  inform 
Captain  Ewell  that  he  had  sighted  a  party  of  Indians  some 
distance  ahead  of  us,  notwithstanding  we  had  all  been 
wishing  for  an  encounter  with  them,  that  we  might  see  the 
<kbrave  boys  in  blue,"  who  were  with  us,  astonish  them 
with  their  new  Spencer  carbines. 

Captain  Ewell  at  once  gave  the  order  to  start  in  pursuit, 


A   FRUITLESS    CHASE. 


209 


and  soon  twenty-five  gallant  fellows  were  thundering  along 
the  hard,  gravelly  soil,  with  an  earnestness  that  bespoke 
short  work  with  the  Apaches,  if  once  overtaken. 

We    soon    came   to  a  slight   elevation,   where    we    could 
plainly  see  the  Indians  a  long  distance  ahead,  driving  before 


CAPTAIN  EWEKL'S  PTJRSUIT  OF  THE  APACHES. 

them  a  small  quantity  of  stock  that  they  had  doubtless 
captured  from  some  poor  ranchero,  while  as  yet,  far  behind, 
our  boys  were  fast  lessening  the  distance  between  them. 

The  chase  was  a  most  exciting  one,  especially  after  we 
saw   the  Indians    abandon   their   stock    and   strike  for   the 
27 


210  THE   RETURN. 

mountains  as  fast  as  their  plucky  little  ponies  could  carry 
them.  We  soon  lost  sight  of  them,  though  Captain  Ewell 
and  his  boys  continued  the  chase,  not  stopping  even  to 
collect  the  stock  that  now  stood  quietly  on  the  plain. 

We  rode  slowly  along  towards  our  camping-place,  which 
we  reached  about  five  o'clock  in  the  evening,  right  glad  of 
the  shelter  afforded  us  by  the  rough  stone  walls  and  thatched 
roof  of  the  mail  company's  corral,  which  had  been  kindly 
offered  us  by  the  agent. 

It  was  not  until  nearly  ten  o'clock  that  we  heard  the 
bugle,  announcing  the  return  of  the  captain  and  his  party. 
They  had  followed  the  Indians  until  they  had  reached  the 
mountains,  but  had  there  lost  track  of  them;  and  although 
they  had  thoroughly  searched  the  canon,  no  traee  of  them 
could  be  found.  They  brought  in  the  stock,  consisting  of 
thirteen  mules  and  nine  oxen.  The  cattle  were  very  lame 
and  foot-sore,  showing  that  they  had  been  driven  a  long 
distance,  probably  from  Sonora  or  Chihuahua,  and  were 
headed  for  the  Apache  countr}*,  a  portion  of  which  I  have 
described  in  a  former  chapter. 

Captain  Ewell  was  much  chagrined  at  his  failure  in  find 
ing  the  Indians,  and  said  he,— 

"I  don't  care  for  the  Indians,  but  I'm  going  to  find 
where  the  d — d  cusses  went  to,"  assuring  us  that  he  should 
remain  there  another  day,  for  the  purpose  of  exploring  the 
canon,  in  which  they  had  so  mysteriously  disappeared. 


ON  THE    WAR-PATH  AGAIN.  211 

Dr.  Parker  and  myself  at  once  volunteered  to  accompany 
him,  although  we  were  well  convinced  that  the  search  would 
be  a  fruitless  one;  still,  we  were  quite  anxious  to  see  what 
the  result  of  a  day*s  explorations  might  bring  forth. 

Although  we  retired  that  night  with  the  prospect  of  an 
adventure  before  us,  we  did  not  wake  till  the  bugle  sounded 
in  the  morning.  We  started  early,  our  party  consisting  of 
twenty -four  men,  including  Dr.  Parker  and  myself.  Our  route 
lay  for  about  six  miles  over  a  beautiful  undulating  prairie, 
rising  gradually  towards  the  mountains.  The  ground  was 
covered  with  green  grass  and  beautiful  flowers,  interspersed 
occasionally  with  small  cedars,  whose  dark  green  contrasted 
splendidly  with  the  lighter  foliage  of  the  spreading  oaks, 
which  dotted  the  landscape  around  us.  Now  and  then  a 
huge  boulder  would  be  seen,  its  dark-red  brown  presenting 
a  curious  contrast  to  its  surroundings. 

o 

The  whole  scene  was  a  charming  one,  as  compared  to  the 
barren  country  over  which  we  had  so  recently  travelled, — 
one  which  we  could  but  admire  and  gratefully  acknowledge. 
We  soon  reached  the  mouth  of  the  canon  in  which  the 
Indians  had  so  mysteriously  disappeared  the  day  before. 
The  stillness  of  death  prevailed;  not  a  sound  could  be 
heard  save  the  tramp  of  our  horses'  feet,  or  the  occasional 
ring  of  a  trooper's  sabre  as  it  rattled  in  its  scabbard. 
Massive  rocks,  hundreds  of  feet  high,  piled  one  upon 
another,  towered  far  above  and  on  all  sides  of  us,  while 


212  HOW   WE   FOUND    THEM. 

occasionally  a  small  cedar  or  scrub  oak  was  to  be  seen, 
firmly  rooted  in  some  gray  cleft  upon  their  sides.  The 
ground  over  which  we  were  travelling  had  once  been  the 
bed  of  a  mountain  stream,  and  our  course  was  much  im 
peded  by  the  large  quantities  of  stones  and  small  boulders, 
that  had  been  worn  smooth  and  round  by  the  action  of  the 
waters.  On  we  went,  endeavoring  to  follow  the  course  of 
the  Mexican  guide,  who  was  now  some  distance  in  advance, 
the  soldiers,  with  their  clumsy  cavalry  horses,  rinding  it 
hard  work  to  make  much  headway  over  the  stones. 

At  this  point  we  were  approaching  a  very  narrow  part 
of  the  canon,  where  the  stream  had  formerly  passed  between 
two  perpendicular  walls  from  one  to  two  hundred  feet  in 
weight,  and  scarcely  thirty  in  width. 

As  we  drew  near  to  it,  so  smooth  were  its  sides,  and  so 
narrow  the  passage,  it  scarcely  seemed  possible  that  it  was 
anything  but  a  huge  fissure  in  the  rock,  notwithstanding 
the  guide  assured  us  that  the  passage  through  it  wras  feasible. 

The  cold,  gray  rocks,  towering  high  above  our  heads, 
entirely  bare  of  foliage,  were  covered  with  a  dark  brown 
moss,  that  gave  to  the  surroundings  a  most  gloomy  and 
sombre  aspect,  in  addition  to  which,  the  masses  of  sharp- 
cornered  rock,  round  boulders,  and  smoothly-washed 
stones  that  covered  the  ground  before  and  around  us, 
seemed  to  offer  an  almost  impassable  barrier  to  the  passage 
of  this  most  forbidding  little  canon. 


WHAT    WE   MET.  213 

The  uncertain  and  suspicious  aspect  of  the  defile  through 
which  we  were  thus  obliged  to  pass,  caused  Captain  Ewell 
to  halt  before  entering  it.  While  he  dispatched  two  scouts 
to  examine  the  passage  for  signs  indicating  the  presence  of 
Indians,  he  ordered  his  men  to  prepare  to  proceed  with  the 
utmost  care,  keeping  a  sharp  lookout  for  lurking  savages. 

In  a  short  time  the  scouts  returned,  and  reported  no  signs 
of  Indians;  and  the  order  was  given  to  advance  cautiously. 
The  scouts  now  started  in  the  lead,  followed  by  Captain 
Ewell  at  the  head  of  his  men.  I  had  lingered  behind  with 
Dr.  Parker  and  Jimmy,  for  the  purpose  of  listening  to  a 
geological  dissertation  from  the  doctor  upon  a  specimen  of 
rock  that  he  had  discovered,  which  he  pronounced  to  be  the 
out-croppings  of  a  very  valuable  lode  of  silver  ore,  when 
suddenly  the  most  terrific  yells  filled  the  air,  accompanied 
by  sounds  resembling  the  discharge  of  heavy  artillery,  above 
which  the  clear,  clarion  tones  of  Captain  Ewell  could  be 
heard  shouting  to  his  men. 

Springing  upon  our  horses,  we  hastily  started  for  the 
entrance  to  the  defile,  but  before  reaching  it  were  met  by 
two  or  three  of  the  men,  whose  terrified  manner  and  fright 
ened  faces  plainly  showed  that  they  were  endeavoring  to 
escape  as  fast  as  the  rough  nature  of  the  ground  would 
permit  them.  We  hurriedly  questioned  them,  and  from 
their  incoherent  answers  gleaned  the  following  informa 
tion: — 


214         HOW  THE  APACHES   ATTACKED    US. 

They  were  proceeding  cautiously  through  the  pass;  the 
stillness  of  death  reigned  around  them;  not  a  living  crea 
ture  was  to  be  seen,  save  occasionally  a  chameleon,  or  great 
ground  lizard,  as,  disturbed  in  its  solitude  by  the  tramp  of 
horses'  feet,  or  the  sharp  ring  of  their  iron-clad  hoofs  upon 
the  rocky  way,  it  wound  its  noisome  track  over  the  stones 
beneath  them,  when  suddenly,  from  far  above  them,  the 
Apache  war-whoop  sounded  in  their  ears.  Looking  up,  they 
saw  a  dozen  or  more  great  pieces  of  rock  descending  from  the 
heights  above,  evidently  designed  to  crush  them.  Hastily 
turning  their  horses'  heads,  they  urged  them  as  fast  as  pos 
sible  towards  the  mouth  of  the  canon. 

Leaving  our  horses  in  charge  of  these  men,  we  started  for 
the  canon  on  foot.  Upon  entering  it,  a  scene  of  dire  confu 
sion  presented  itself.  Occasionally  a  piece  of  rock  would 
be  precipitated  from  the  very  top  of  the  high  wall,  and  strik 
ing  the  opposite  side  of  the  canon,  would  rebound  again  and 
again,  until  it  finally  fell  with  a  tremendous  crash  to  the 
earth,  causing  the  soldiers  to  huddle  together  at  the  foot 
of  the  wall,  unmindful  of  their  horses,  or  aught  else  save 
protection  for  themselves. 

Captain  Ewell,  with  perhaps  a  dozen  of  his  men,  had 
been  separated  from  the  remainder  of  his  party  by  a  mass  of 
rock  thrown  from  above,  which,  lying  piled  up  at  the  bottom 
of  the  pass,  completely  blocked  its  passage.  He  seemed 
to  be  endeavoring  to  rally  that  portion  of  his  command  with 


JIMMY  BECOMES    VALIANT.  215 

him,  in  an  attempt  to  scale  the  almost  perpendicular  walls, 
upon  the  top  of  which  were  the  Apaches,  whose  demoniacal 
yells  resounded  through  the  narrow  defile,  rendering  confu 
sion  worse  confounded.  Several  of  the  men  were  endeavor 
ing  to  release  two  of  their  companions,  who  with  their 
horses  had  been  struck  to  the  earth  by  the  terrible  missiles 
hurled  from  above. 

As  yet  not  an  Indian  had  been  seen.  The  doctor  caught  a 
glimpse  of  a  head  peering  over  the  edge  of  rock  far  above 
us,  and  raising  his  rifle,  fired  without  even  pausing  to  take 
aim.  Down  came  the  naked  body  of  an  Apache,  his  bow 
still  tightly  grasped  in  his  hand.  As  he  tumbled  over  and 
over,  rebounding  from  against  the  steep  walls,  he  struck 
the  ground  but  a  short  distance  in  advance  of  us.  Jimmy, 
rushing  forward,  commenced  kicking  the  body  in  the  most 
valiant  manner,  exclaiming  at  the  same  time,  * 'There,  ye 
dhirty,  naked  divil,  git  behind  another  rock,  will  yez,  and 
thry  to  kill  honest  min  that's  passin'  thro'  th'  counthry  a 
sight-sain';  take  that,  will  yez?"  and  he  bestowed  kick 
after  kick  upon  the  mangled  body,  after  which  he  grasped 
the  bow,  and  wrenching  it  from  the  grip  of  death  with 
which  it  was  held,  again  joined  us,  completely  exhausted 
b}T  his  frantic  efforts  for  revenge.  For  months  afterwards 
this  bow  proved  to  be  Jimmy's  best  card;  for  he  related  the 
story  of  his  "capturin'  it  from  an  Apache,  shure,  wid  these 


216  DEATH. 

two  hands,  miself,"  many  times,  always  forgetting  to  state , 
however,  that  the  Apache  was  a  dead  one. 

For  a  few  moments  we  stood  and  watched  the  captain  and 
his  men  toiling  up  the  steep  ascent,  and  then  went  forward 
to  assist  in  extricating  the  poor  fellows,  whose  lives  had 
been  so  suddenly  and  unexpectedly  crushed  out.  After 
working  for  a  couple  of  hours,  we  succeeded  in  recovering 
the  mangled  and  lifeless  bodies  from  under  the  mass  of 
rock ;  then  slowly  and  with  tender  care  we  placed  them  upon 
a  litter  made  of  their  comrades'  rifles,  on  which  they  were 
borne  to  the  mouth  of  the  Pass,  and  there  laid  upon  the 
green  grass,  to  await  the  arrival  of  the  rest  of  the  command, 
who,  with  their  captain,  were  scouring  the  rocks  in  the  vain 
hope  of  overtaking  and  punishing  the  lurking  foe  who  had 
attacked  them  in  such  a  cowardly  manner. 

After  many  and  repeated  attempts,  the  men  succeeded 
in  removing  a  sufficient  portion  of  the  rocks  that  blocked 
the  passage  of  the  canon,  to  enable  them  to  get  out  their 
horses  from  behind  the  mass;  and  some  hours  later,  Captain 
Ewell  and  his  men  returned  from  their  fruitless  pursuit, 
quite  worn  out  with  fatigue. 

Upon  reaching  the  top  of  the  wall  where  the  Apaches  had 
stood,  they  found  tons  of  rocks  piled  up,  ready  to  be  pre 
cipitated  into  the  depths  below;  and  close  by  the  spot  a 
wounded  Apache,  which  one  of  the  men  hastily  dispatched 
with  his  sabre.  The  rest  of  the  band  had  disappeared  as 


A    BUXIAL  BY  NIGHT.  217 

completely    as    if  the   earth  had    opened   and    swallowed 
them. 

After  a  short  rest  we  again  took  up  the  line  of  march  for 
camp,  the  men  carefully  bearing  with  them  the  dead  bodies 
of  their  two  comrades.  It  was  quite  dark  ere  we  reached 
camp.  The  captain  immediately  detailed  four  men  to  dig 
a  grave  upon  a  little  eminence  near  by,  and  the  bodies 
of  Wilbur  Carver  and  Charles  Tucker  were  wrapped  in 
their  blankets  and  deposited  within  its  narrow  walls. 

We  stood  by  with  uncovered  heads,  while  Captain  Ewell 
touchingly  repeated  a  portion  of  the  beautiful  burial  service 
of  the  Episcopal  Church;  and  as  the  solemn  words,  "  I  am 
the  resurrection  and  the  life,"  fell  upon  my  ears  for  the 
first  time  in  many  months,  they  awakened  a  host  of  long-for 
gotten  memories,  which  came  trooping  up  and  crowding 
one  upon  the  other  in  such  quick  ^succession  that  I  quite 
forgot  the  sad  scene  which  I  was  there  to  witness,  as  well 
as  the  circumstances  that  had  caused  it;  nor  did  I  wake 
from  my  reverie  until  the  last  sad  duties  were  finished,  and 
the  men  had  returned  to  camp.  Then  the  doctor  touched  me 
upon  the  shoulder,  and  we  silently  turned  from  the  sad 
scene,  and  wended  our  way  to  the  station. 

It  was  late  that  night  before  we  retired,  right  glad  of  the 
prospect  of  a  rest  after  the  fatigue  and  excitement  of  the 
day,  and  well-satisfied  of  the  fallacy  of  pursui  ig  Apaches  in 
their  native  fastnesses  with  regular  cavalry. 
28 


218 


A  MIDNIGHT  ATTACK. 


We  were  soon  wrapped  in  our  blankets  and  enjoying  a  re 
freshing  sleep,  only  to  be  awakened  by  yells  as  of  ten 
thousand  devils.  In  an  instant  we  realized  that  the  Apaches 
were  attempting  a  stampede,  for  their  whoops  were  accompa 
nied  by  the  ringing  of  old  cow-bells,  the  neighing  of  horses, 


THE   STAMPEDE. 


braying  of  mules,  and  terrified  lowing  of  cattle,  intermingled 
with  the  discharge  of  fire-arms  and  the  shouting  of  men,  all 
combining  to  render  the  scene  as  near  Pandemonium  as  'tis 
possible  to  imagine.  Of  course  we  could  do  nothing  but 
wait,  and  wait  we  did,  until  every  sound  had  died  away. 


TO    THE  RESCUE.  219 

In  a  short  time  Captain  Ewell's  voice  was  heard  at  the 
gate  of  the  corral,  and  he  informed  us  that  the  Apaches  had 
stampeded  his  stock,  and  he  wanted  some  animals  from  the 
corral  to  mount  his  men  to  start  in  pursuit.  He  obtained 
five,  and  started  back  to  camp,  while  we  once  more  retired, 
waiting  for  daylight  before  we  ventured  out  of  the  gates  that 
had  afforded  us  such  perfect  protection. 


CHAPTER    XV. 

EFORE  it  was  light  enough  to  see  plainly,  Mr. 
Twilly,  the  station-agent,  called  our  attention 
to  a  peculiar  roaring  sound,  which  seemed  to 
come  from  the  mountains  near  by,  at  the  same 
time  informing  us  that  it  was  raining  up  there 
very  hard,  and  if  the  Apaches  bad  succeeded 
in  getting  any  start  with  the  stock,  the  storm 
would  delay  Captain  Ewell,  so  that  it  would  be  impossible 
for  him  to  prevent  their  escape,  as  the  water  from  the  sides 
of  the  mountain  would  create  such  torrents  that  it  would 
be  useless  to  attempt  to  cross  them. 

As  soon  as  it  was  light  enough  for  us  to  see,  we  pro 
ceeded  to  the  camp  to  ascertain  the  situation  there.  We 
found  that  the  Indians  had  succeeded  in  stampeding  all  of 
Captain  E well's  animals,  except  ten,  together  with  the  stock 
captured  the  day  before,  making  in  all  nearly  fifty  head, 
and  that  Captain  Ewell  had  gone  in  pursuit  with  fifteen 
men. 

(220) 


THIEVING  PROPENSITIES  OF  THE  APACHES.  221 

Of  course  there  were  many  stories  told  as  to  the  strength 
of  the  Apaches,  some  setting  their  number  as  high  as  fifty, 
and  others  declaring  that  there  were  not  more  than  ten. 

After  listening  to  the  many  conflicting  reports,  I  made  up 
my  mind  that  undoubtedly  it  was  the  same  band  that  Cap 
tain  Ewell  had  been  in  pursuit  of  for  the  past  two  days, 
and  that  they  had  secreted  themselves  in  the  mountains, 
where  they  could  observe  the  situation  of  his  camp,  and  had 
taken  advantage  of  the  knowledge  thus  gained  to  repay  the 
captain  for  his  efforts  to  punish  them. 

These  Apaches  are  certainly  most  adroit  thieves,  and 
manage  to  spirit  off  horses  and  cattle  before  the  very  eyes 
of  their  owners  in  the  most  unaccountable  manner,  and 
without  detection.  To  do  this,  however,  they  are  some 
times  obliged  to  crawl  for  a  mile  upon  their  bellies  through 
the  tall  grass.  After  reaching  the  animal  which  they  de 
sire,  they  quietly  unfasten  his  picket-pin  and  stealthily 
draw  themselves  up  upon  his  side,  clinging  to  his  neck 
with  their  arms,  thus  effectually  interposing  his  body,  so  as 
to  act  as  a  shield  between  them  and  his  owner.  While  in 
this  position  they  gradually  and  surely  succeed  in  getting 
out  of  rifle  range;  then  urging  their  prize  into  a  gallop,  they 
are  soon  out  of  sight,  leaving  the  owner  to  wonder  where 
his  animal  could  have  strayed  to  so  suddenly. 

When  a  general  stampede  is  intended,  they  first  capture 
the  leader  of  the  herd,  then  Avith  shouts  and  noises  so 


222  THE  PURSUIT  FOILED. 

terrify  and  confuse  the  other  animals,  that  they  all  unhesitat 
ingly  follow  this  one,  which  bears  upon  his  back  the  most 
daring  and  expert  thief  of  the  party. 

It  was  evident  that  the  rain  which  had  fallen  early  in  the 
morning  had  been  very  severe  indeed;  upon  the  tops  and 
far  down  the  sides  of  the  mountains  the  heavy  clouds  still 
lowered,  completely  enshrouding  their  rocky  sides,  and 
effectually  concealing  the  trees  which  grew  near  their  base, 
nor  did  it  require  a  very  attentive  listener  to  distinguish  the 
sound  of  the  rushing  waters  as  they  swept  in  an  unresisting 
torrent  down  the  rocky  precipices  and  narrow  gorges  to  the 
plains  below. 

It  was  nearly  ten  o'clock  that  night  ere  Captain  Ewell 
and  his  party  returned  from  their  unsuccessful  pursuit. 
They  had  been  forced  to  wait  several  hours  for  the  waters  to 
abate  at  one  of  the  "dry  runs,"  which  delay  had  enabled 
the  Apaches  to  successfully  elude  their  pursuers,  although 
they  were  obliged  to  leave  the  cattle  behind  them,  which 
three  of  the  soldiers  were  driving  into  camp,  as  they  could 
not  keep  up  with  the  rest  of  the  herd. 

It  was  quite  late  when  we  returned  to  the  station,  having 
said  good-bye  to  Captain  Ewell,  and  echoing  the  wish  which 
he  so  earnestly  expressed,  "That  he  might  have  just  one 
brush  with  the  devils  before  he  returned  to  the  fort." 

The  next  morning  as  we  started  from  the  station,  the  cap 
tain  came  to  bid  us  farewell,  and  to  ask  us  to  urge  Major 


COCHISE   AGAIN.  223 

De  Rythe  to  send  him  some  mules  from  the  Apache  Pass, 
to  enable  him  to  return  to  Fort  Buchanan. 

This  we  did  on  our  arrival,  and  the  majcr  at  once  sent 
•him  a  dozen.  We  afterwards  learned  that  he  reached  the 
fort  safely ;  and  ere  many  weeks  had  elapsed  he  had  the 
opportunity  of  administering  to  the  Apaches  a  severe  whip 
ping,  at  the  Pnerta  del  Curcuco,  near  the  Buseni  ranche,  in 
the  Santa  Rita  Mountains,  where  no  less  than  sixteen  of 
the  thieving  rascals  were  left  dead  upon  the  field. 

Our  journey  from  the  Dragoon  Springs  to  the  Apache 
Pass  was  without  incident  worthy  of  note;  and  it  was  not 
until  noon  of  the  next  day  that  we  entered  this  rocky  canon 
which  enabled  us  to  pass  through  the  Chiricahui  Mountains. 

After  travelling  for  miles  along  a  road  so  narrow  that  there 
was  barely  room  for  one  wagon  between  the  steep  and  over 
hanging  rocks,  we  finally  reached  the  station.  We  found  all 
well,  and  Cochise  on  hand  to  receive  us.  We  learned  upon 
inquiry,  that  Cochise  and  his  five  braves  had  only  returned 
that  morning,  after  an  absence  of  three  days;  and  from  this 
circumstance,  as  well  as  from  his  peculiar  looks  when  ques 
tioned  about  the  Indians  rho  had  stampeded  the  stock,  I 
was  led  to  the  belief  that  he  and  his  party  were  among  the 
band  who  had  visited  the  camp  at  the  Dragoon  Springs. 
Of  course  we  could  only  conjecture  this,  as  we  had  no  proof 
other  than  the  very  unsatisfactory  replies  to  our  questions 
concerning  their  whereabouts  during  their  absence.  But 


224  THE   SAN  CIMON   VALLEY. 

then,  who  ever  received  from  an  Apache  a  satisfactory 
reply  to  any  question? 

We  tarried  over  night  at  the  Pass,  intending  the  next  day 
to  reach  the  San  Cimon,  where  we  expected  to  encamp. 

After  leaving  the  mountains,  we  rode  for  eighteen  miles 
over  one  of  the  best  natural  roads  I  ever  saw,  until  we 
reached  the  mail-station,  on  the  San  Cimon.  He'  o  we 
made  our  camp,  the  agent  giving  our  animals  stalls  (j  the 
Corral  of  the  company. 

The  valley  of  the  San  Cimon  is  about  twenty-five  /niies 
in  width,  and  contains  much  fine  grazing  land,  as  well  as 
some  good  agricultural  districts.  It  is  covered  with  a  spe 
cies  of  grass  called  grama ,  which  for  its  nutritious  qualities 
is  rivalled  only  by  the  celebrated  mesquit  grass  of  Texas. 
In  the  region  where  it  grows,  the  settler  requires  no  graii; 
for  his  mules  or  horses,  as  they  are  able  to  endure  quite  as 
much  fatigue  when  feeding  upon  this  grass  as  upon  grain; 
and  the  stock-raiser  who  has  fed  his  cattle  upon  grama  dur 
ing  the  entire  winter,  finds  them  in  quite  as  good  condition 
in  the  spring  as  does  the  Eastern  farmer  his  stall-fed  ani 
mals. 

While  here  we  learned  that  only  two  days  before  a  small 
party  of  Apaches  had  made  an  attack  upon  the  herders  be 
longing  to  the  station,  and  had  stolen  two  of  the  company's 
mules,  much  to  the  disgust  of  the  station-keeper  and  his 
assistants,  who  were  powerless  to  overtake  them,  having 


NEWS  FROM  THE  STATES.  225 

driven  them  in  the  direction  of  Stein's  Peak,  which 
lay  immediately  on  our  route.  Indian  signals  had  been 
observed  in  its  vicinity  during  the  day,  therefore  we  were 
reluctantly  persuaded  to  remain  for  a  time  at  the  station,  as 
well  for  our  own  safety  as  to  give  our  animals  a  generous 
feed  of  grama,  of  which  they  were  very  fond. 

Early  in  the  morning,  the  overland  coach  from  the  East 
arrived,  bringing  papers  only  twenty  days  old;  and  as  they 
contained  the  first  news  we  had  received  for  nearly  two 
months,  we  were  quite  overjoyed  to  get  them.  While  the 
coach  tarried  here,  the  passengers,  four  in  number,  partook 
of  refreshments,  which  the  station-agent  had  kindly  provided, 
after  which  they  set  out  for  Tucson  at  a  rattling  pace. 

The  following  morning  was  a  beautiful  one,  and  just  as 
the  day  was  breaking,  I  heard  the  keeper  opening  the  2"ates 
of  the  corral  before  sending  the  animals  out  for  their  morn 
ing  meal.  Further  sleep  being  out  of  the  question,  I  arose, 
and  seating  myself  upon  the  green  grass,  watched  the  antics 
of  the  mules  as  they  one  by  one  came  from  the  corral,  and 
for  the  first  time  experienced  a  sense  of  their  freedom. 

The  sun  came  up  grandly,  his  rays  gilding  the  snow-clad 
summit  of  Stein's  Peak  —  an  elevation  nine  thousand  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  sea  —  with  crimson  beauty,  almost 
unearthly  in  its  seeming  scintillant  light;  and  I  watched 
it  for  hours,  until  its  pure  crystal  covering  no  longer  re 
flected  a  sheen  of  silvery  light,  but  stood  white  and  solitary 
29 


226  STEIN'S  PEAK. 

in  its  bold  relief  against  the  clear  blue  sky,  like  the  huge 
sentinel  of  the  desert  that  it  is,  ever  watchful  and  ever  at 
its  post. 

As  the  sun  rose  higher  in  the  heavens,  the  gray,  precip 
itous  sides  of  this  stately  peak  afforded  a  most  pleasing 
contrast  to  the  dark,  rich  green  of  its  base,  while  the  purple 
haze  toned  down  its  angular  points,  until,  half  concealed 
and  half  revealed.  I  could  almost  fancy  that  I  was  gazing 
through  "Timothy  Titbottom's  spectacles,"  and  beheld  my 
castles  in  Spain  rising  before  me  in  all  their  beauty  and 
grandeur. 

The  question  which  I  had  put  to  Dr.  Parker,  as  to  what 
our  employment  or  amusement  should  be  during  the  day,  was 
speedily  answered  by  seeing  the  herders  frantically  endeav 
oring  to  collect  their  stock,  urging  it  as  fast  as  possible 
towards  the  corral.  For  some  time  we  could  not  perceive  the 
cause  of  this  alarm.  The  station-keeper,  however,  soon  dis 
covered  a  party  of  five  Apaches,  riding  as  fast  as  their  ponies 
could  carry  them,  towards  the  two  herders,  who  by  this 
time  were  well  on  their  way  to  the  station,  which  they  soon 
reached.  The  stock  safely  housed,  we  all  retreated  to  the 
building,  and  awaited  coming  events. 

It  soon  became  evident  that  the  Apaches  had  no  intention 
of  making  an  attack,  but  that  their  design  was  simply  to 
obtain  possession  of  some  of  the  stock,  for  they  halted  at  a 
distance  of  nearly  half  a  mile  from  the  station,  seeminglj 


FELLING   AN  INDIAN.  227 

engaged    in  holding    a  council    of   war,  sitting   upon   their 
ponies  in  the  mean  time. 

Having  in  my  hand  one  of  Sharp's  carbines,  I  brought  it 
to  bear,  and  elevating  the  sight,  took  deliberate  aim  at  the 
five  Indians,  who  were  closely  huddled  together,  and  fired. 
I  had  not  the  slightest  expectation  of  hitting  one  of  them, 
but  to  my  utter  surprise  I  saw  one  of  their  number  fall  from 
his  saddle,  while  the  men  around  me  uttered  a  shout  at  the 
success  of  my  shot,  which  must  have  sounded  to  the  ears  of 
the  red-skins  like  a  yell  of  defiance. 

A  clap  of  Arizona  thunder  resounding  through  the  clear, 
beautiful  sky  would  not  have  more  terribly  astounded  the 
Apaches  than  did  the  result  of  my  chance  shot.  They  had 
evidently  thought  themselves  far  out  of  rifie  range,  and  as 
secure  as  though  miles  away.  In  an  instant  after  their 
comrade  bit  the  dust,  they  scattered  in  every  direction; 
but  as  they  witnessed  no  further  attempt  to  reach  them, 
they  soon  rallied,  and  two  of  their  number  rode  hurriedly 
to  the  spot  where  lay  the  dead  Indian.  Stooping  in  their 
saddles  they  seized  his  body,  and  throwing  it  before  them 
on  their  ponies,  galloped  madly  away. 

As  for   me,  my  unlooked-for  success    in   bringing  down 
this  Apache   gained  me  a   most   enviable   reputation  as   a* 
marksman  along  the  line  of  the  overland  mail  route,  a  repu 
tation  which  I  was  exceedingly  careful  not  to  injure  by  at 
tempting  another  shot. 


228  APACHES   ON  THE    WAR-PATH. 

The  Indians  soon  disappeared  from  view,  nor  were 
we  troubled  by  them  for  the  remainder  of  the  day.  The 
station-keeper  expressed  some  fears  lest  they  should  return 
during  the  night  for  the  purpose  of  revenge,  therefore  we 
kept  a  close  watch,  but  experienced  no  eause  for  alarm, 
however. 

As  our  next  day's  journey  lay  through  the  * 'Doubtful 
Pass," — a  portion  of  our  route  considered  quite  danger 
ous, —  we  discussed  the  propriety  of  waiting  another  day, 
or  proceeding  in  the  morning.  We  came  to  no  decision, 
however,  until  the  overland  mail-coach  from  the  East 
arrived,  and  reported  that  they  had  been  attacked  by  a 
party  of  Apaches  in  the  "Doubtful  Pass,"  and  that  the 
conductor,  who  was  seated  with  the  driver,  had  been  badly 
wounded.  The  plan  had  evidently  been  to  kill  both 
conductor  and  driver,  but  owing  to  the  darkness  they  had 
failed  in  their  attempt. 

As  it  was,  Mashon,  the  conductor,  received  a  severe  arrow 
wound  in  his  side,  which  we  dressed  as  well  as  we  were  able 
with  the  few  appliances  at  hand,  and  having  our  mules  put 
to  our  wagon,  we  determined  to  set  out  at  once,  knowing 
that  the  Apaches  would,  for  a  day  or  two,  or  as  long  as 
they  feared  any  pursuit,  leave  the  vicinity  of  the  pass,  and 
seek  other  haunts. 

A  drive  of  eight  miles  brought  us  to  "La  Puerto, 
Grande,"  as  it  is  called,  or  "The  Great  Door,"  which  irf 


THE   "DOUBTFUL   PASS."  229 

the  entrance  to  the  "Doubtful  Pass."  It  is,  in  fact,  a 
canon  of  the  dividing  ridge  between  the  waters  of  the 
Atlantic  and  the  Pacific;  or  in  other  words,  the  door  of 
entrance  to  the  Pacific  slope. 

Through  this  canon  our  road  for  a  couple  of  miles  lay 
between  two  high  walls  of  massive  rock,  barely  wide 
enough  to  allow  a  wagon  to  pass.  A  solid  wall  of  rock 
towered  far  above  us  on  either  side,  and  the  road  itself, 
which  in  the  rainy  season  became  a  mere  water-course,  was 
washed  and  gullied  by  recent  rains,  until  it  was  almost 
impassable  for  any  wheeled  vehicle.  In  addition  to  this,  we 
were  constantly  ascending  a  very  steep  grade,  which  made 
our  progress  slow  and  laborious.  Our  patient  mules,  how 
ever,  acquitted  themselves  nobly,  and  for  the  next  six  hours 
we  toiled  up  the  steep  ascent,  every  step  bringing  us  nearer 
to  safety  and  a  resting-place. 

The  scenery  at  this  point  was  grand,  gloomy,  and  pe 
culiar.  Immense  gravel-hills,  barren  as  the  rocks  which 
surrounded  them;  huge  granite  boulders  and  masses  of  sand 
stone  flung  out  of  the  earth  at  random,  met  our  gaze;  strange 
jagged  mountain-peaks  rose  on  all  sides,  while  towering 
high  above  all  was  the  snow-clad  summit  of  Stein's  Peak 
looking  down  upon  us,  cold  and  silent,  keeping  its  solitary 
4 'watch  and  ward,"  as  it  lifted  itself  far  above  the  desolate 
wastes  around. 

At  last  we  see  the  low  thatched  roof  of  Stein's  Peak 


230        THE   BACKBONE    OF   THE  CONTINENT. 

Station,  scarcely  distinguishable  from  the  gray  rocks  which 
overhang  it.  This  welcome  sight  brings  a  feeling  of  relief 
to  our  anxious  hearts,  and  we  once  more  breathe  freely, 
for  we  feel  well  assured  that  our  principal  danger  is 
past. 

Standing  upon  the  dividing  ridge,  the  backbone  of  the 
Continent,  or  what  is  now  known  as  the  Peloncillo  Moun 
tains,  a  portion  of  the  Sierra  Madre  range,  we  turn  our  eyes 
to  the  west,  and  look  at  the  wonderful  country  over  which 
we  have  been  travelling  since  we  left  Tucson.  The  magnifi 
cent  panorama  here  spread  out  before  us  almost  com 
pensated  for  the  trials  and  perils  which  we  had  encountered 
on  our  journey;  even  practical,  matter-of-fact  Jimmy  seeemd 
lost  in  wonder  and  admiration,  and  enthusiastically  ex 
claimed, —  "Bedad,  but  it's  a  foine  sight!" 

And  so  it  was,  in  very  truth.  Stretching  fcr  sixty  miles 
beneath  us  lay  what  seemed  to  be  a  vast  plain,  bounded  iii 
the  far  distance  by  a  faint  line  of  blue,  and  half  shrouded 
by  the  rich  purple  haze,  so  peculiar  to  an  Arizonia  land 
scape,  softening  its  hard  features,  toning  down  its  angular 
ities,  and  lending  an  indescribable  charm  to  the  patches  of 
forest,  the  gray  alkali  plains,  and  the  white  wavy  sand- 
fields  which  lay  stretched  out  like  a  gorgeous  carpet  at  our 
veiy  feet. 

We  had  made  the  "Doubtful  Pass"  in  safety.  The  only 
living  thing  that  we  had  seen  was  an  occasional  mountain 


MOUNTAIN  SHEEP.  231 

sheep,  as,  standing  upon  the  point  of  some  projecting  rock 
far  above  us,  he  watched  our  movements  with  curious  eyes, 
ready  at  the  first  sign  of  a  hostile  demonstration  to  seek 
safety  by  precipitating  himself  upon  the  jagged*  rocks 
below,  or  by  leaping  to  some  neighboring  crag,  where  he 
might  find  a  friendly  retreat  at  a  safe  distance  from  his 
pursuers,  leaving  only  the  tip  of  his  huge  horns  to  guide 
the  daring  hunter  to  his  place  of  concealment. 

After  admiring  the  beautiful  view  that  met  our  gaze  on 
every  hand,  we  renewed  our  journey,  and  in  a  short  time 
were  knocking  loudly  at  the  gates  of  the  overland  mail- 
station  for  admittance.  The  keeper  warmly  welcomed  us, 
and  our  tired,  jaded  mules  soon  found  themselves  feeding 
upon  the  rich  grama,  which  grew  so  luxuriantly  in  the  open 
space  around  the  station. 

The  corral  is  built  beside  a  huge  granite  boulder,  a 
hollow  portion  of  which  forms  a  part  of  the  station  itself, 
and  is  nearly,  if  not  quite,  six  thousand  feet  above  the 
level  of  the  sea,  and  with  its  high  stone  walls  and  formida 
ble  wooden  gates  it  resembles  a  fortress  far  more  strongly 
than  it  does  a  dwelling-house. 

The  hospitable  occupants  of  the  station  set  before  us  a 
.most  palatable  dinner  of  frejolies  and  pancakes,  and  in  the 
keen  satisfaction  derived  therefrom  we  forgot  the  tedious 
and  dangerous  ride  of  twenty  miles,  which  we  had  just 
made  from  the  San  Cimon.  Dinner  dispatched,  we  ac- 


232  AN  ELEVATED  LAKE. 

coinpanied  the  station-keeper  to  a  little  pond  or  lake  called 
Stein's  Peak  Lake,  about  three  miles  from  the  station,  on 
the  very  top  of  the  divide. 

This*  little  lake  was  scarcely  a  hundred  and  fifty  feet  in 
breadth,  and  was  fed  by  several  large  springs,  while  from 
its  sides  ran  two  little  streams,  neither  of  them  larger 
than  my  arm,  but  clear,  cool,  and  sparkling.  One  of  these 
streams  fell  over  a  steep  precipice,  now  pushing  its  way 
through  a  rocky  defile,  or  narrow  gorge,  and  again  flowing 
gently  and  quietly  through  a  small  patch  of  forest,  gain 
ing  strength  and  power  as  it  descended  to  the  plain  below, 
only  to  sink  into  the  earth  and  reappear,  after  flowing 
through  its  subterranean  channel  for  many  miles;  to  again 
sink,  and  once  more  appear;  until  at  last  it  lost  itself  in 
the  bed  of  the  Gila,  to  finally  make  its  way  into  the  blue 
waters  of  the  mighty  Pacific.  Its  companion  stream  toiled 
on  and  on,  until  it  too  found  an  outlet,  and  thousands  of 
miles  away  it  contributed  its  strength  to  swell  the  green 
waters  of  the  great  Atlantic.  Flowing  from  the  same  com 
mon  source,  thus  were  they  finally  separated  by  a  vast 
continent. 

It  would  be  exceedingly  difficult  to  find  words  in  which 
to  describe  the  peculiar  characteristics  of  the  scenery  around 
this  miniature  lake  of  Stein's  Peak.  It  lay  immediately 
at  the  foot  of  a  huge  pile  of  cold,  gray  sandstone  and 
granite,  promiscuously  mixed  with  large  quantities  ot 


THE   CERE  US    GE  ANDES. 


233 


volcanic  rjck,    covered    with  a 


coating    of   bright  and  shining  tJ|B= 


lava-form  of  every  color,  from 
light  purple   to   deep  red    and  ~=T 
sombre    black.    The     edges    of 
these  rocks  were  sharply  defined,  -^ 
and  of  the  most  fantastic  shapes 
which    the     imagination     could  J 
conceive.     Scattered    here    and 
there,  growing  apparently  with-  jj 
out  any  soil,  rose  to  the  height 
of    forty    or  fifty   feet   grooved  ^ 
columns  of  the  Cereus  grander,  1 
or  monumental  cactus,   as   it  is  J 
sometimes  called.     Interspersed  f 
with  these    were    the    brilliant  i 
green  leaves  of  the  prickly-pear, 
or  the  occasional  gaudy  blossom 
of  the   maguey,  or  the  Spanish 
bayonet,     with      its      bristling 
points,    all  of    which,    together   ^ 
with  the   clear  blue  sky  above 
us.  and  the  cold  white  summit  of 
the  Peak  at  our  left,  were  most 
faithfully  reflected  in  the  waters 

of  the  little    lake  which  lay  so 
30 


CEBETJS 


234  "BARNEY  STATION." 

quietly  in  the  midst  of  this  scene  of  desolation,  like  a 
beautiful  mirror,  spread  out  at  our  feet  by  the  Almighty's 
own  hand,  to  convince  us  how  feeble  is  the  creative  genius 
of  man,  when  compared  with  the  most  simple  effort  of 
nature.  That  mirror  and  its  framing  I  shall  never  forget. 

It  was  not  until  after  the  sun  had  sunk  behind  the  Peak, 
and  the  stars  had  appeared  in  the  heavens,  that  we  could 
make  up  our  minds  to  turn  away  from  the  contemplation 
of  this  grand  picture,  and  return  to  the  station.  Upon 
arriving  there,  we  learned  that  we  were  far  from  being  out 
of  danger,  for  only  the  week  before  the  Apaches  had  attacked 
"Barney  Station,"  a  few  miles  below  us,  and  killed  one 
of  the  herders,  besides  driving  off  several  mules  which 
belonged  to  the  company. 

We  at  length  decided  to  incur  what  risk  there  might  be, 
in  an  endeavor  to  reach,  on  the  following  evening,  the 
second  station  from  the  Peak,  known  as  the  "Soldier's 
Farewell,"  a  distance  of  thirty-two  miles.  In  order  to  do 
this,  a  very  early  start  was  necessary.  We  therefore 
"turned  in"  in  good  season,  nor  were  we  disturbed  save 
on  the  arrival  of  the  coach  from  San  Francisco,  about  one 
o'clock  in  the  morning. 


CHAPTER    XVI. 


HE  next  morning  at  daylight  we  were 
ready  to  start  upon  our  journey, 
B^  expecting  to  reach  the  station  of 
the  Overland  Mail  Company,  called 
the  Soldier's  Farewell,  before  night 
overtook  us. 

As  we  rode  out  of  the  corral  into 
the  beautiful  bright  sunshine,  the  view  before  us  was  a 
lovely  one  indeed. 

Away  to  the  south  lay  the  peaks  of  the  great  Sierra  Madre 
range,  stretching  far  into  the  interior  of  Chihuahua.  To 
the  southeast  the  graceful,  conical  peaks  of  the  Florida 
Mountains  were  to  be  seen,  while,  nearer,  isolated  ranges 
and  solitary  Picatchos,  rugged  and  bare,  raised  their  heads 
like  huge  rocks  emerging  from  the  quiet  blue  of  the  ocean. 
To  the  east,  more  than  a  hundred  miles  distant,  the 
peaks  of  the  Organos  reared  their  huge  basaltic  columns, 
which  were  distinctly  visible  in  the  clear  morning  light, 

(285) 


236  A   MAGNIFICENT  PROSPECT. 

Immediately  in  front  of  us  lay  the  Burro  range,  while 
high  above  their  tops  towered  Cook's  Peak,  its  jagged 
sides  clothed  with  the  enchantment  that  distance  always 
lends.  To  the  northeast  the  Mimbres  ran^e  rose  high  in 

o  o 

the  air,  while  farther  north  the  Pino  Alto,  with  their  dark- 
green  pines,  could  be  seen  in  bold  relief  against  the  snow- 
clad  peaks  of  the  Mogollon  range,  far  to  the  north  of  the 
Gila,  yet  seemingly  immediately  behind  them. 

To  the  northwest  the  solitary  peak  of  the  San  Francisco, 
with  its  compadres,  the  Dos  Cabasas,  were  plainly  visible; 
and  far  beyond  them  Mount  Graham,  with  its  bald  old  sum 
mit  strove  to  pierce  the  clouds,  while  cit  our  very  feet  the 
great  plateau  of  the  West,  with  its  sand-fields  sparkling  in 
the  sunshine,  stretched  out  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach. 

It  was  a  most  beautiful  picture  that  Nature  had  this 
morning  unrolled  for  our  inspection;  nor  did  we  commence 
our  descent  until  we  had  thoroughly,  and  I  hope  appreciat- 
ingly,  enjoyed  its  beauties. 

About  ten  o'clock  we  reached  the  level  of  the  vast  plateau, 
which  extends  for  nearly  three  degrees  westward  from  the 
Eio  Grande,  and  is  considered  one  of  the  best  natural  routes 
for  a  railroad  ever  seen,  though  a  more  barren  and  desolate 
range  of  country  does  not  exist  on  the  American  continent. 

Imagine,  if  you  can,  an  endless,  parched-up  waste,  with 
only  an  occasional  patch  of  grass  to  be  seen;  then  miles  of 
gray  alkali  plain,  relieved  by  stretches  of  earth  perfectly 


THE   GREAT  PLATEAU.  237 

bare,  and  so  light  that  the  least  breath  of  air  drives  the 
dust  before  it  like  a  simoon,  almost  suffocating  the  unfor 
tunate  traveller  who  chances  to  be  in  its  course. 

Not  a  living  green  shrub  to  be  seen,  nor  a  drop  of  water 
to  be  found  upon  its  surface,  save  in  the  lowest  spots,  where 
it  sometimes  collects  for  a  few  days,  soon  becoming  stag 
nant,  and  emitting  a  most  offensive  odor.  Yet  this  cess 
pool  is  the  resort,  while  it  lasts,  of  both  man  and  beast. 
Deer,  antelope,  wolves,  and  coyotes  share  with  the  weary 
traveller  the  thickened,  stagnant  impurities;  flocks  of  birds 
frequent  it;  geese,  ducks,  teal,  and,  in  fact,  everything  that 
requires  water,  partakes  of  its  foul  unwholesomeness. 

The  great  plateau  certainly  presents  but  few  attractions 
to  the  wayfarer.  Just  after  reaching  the  level  of  the  plain, 
we  witnessed  a  most  remarkable  mirage. 

We  saw  distinctly  reflected  animals  of  all  kinds,  from  the 
stately  giraffe  to  the  homely  ox;  tents,  which  we  afterwards 
found  standing  near  the  Soldier's  Farewell,  twenty  miles 
away,  were  transformed  into  snow-clad  peaks;  tufts  of  grass, 
into  magnificent  forest  trees;  every  playa  into  a  beautiful 
lake,  with  its  rippling  waves  and  showery  sprays,  while  on 
its  banks  were  terraced  citadels,  stately  columns,  and 
ruined  castles,  such  as  might  be  found  in  Greece  or  old 
Rome.  It  was  a  wonderful  sight,  and  one  never  to  be 
forgotten. 

We  soon  arrived  at  Barney  Station,  where,  through   the 


238  THE  SOLDIERS  FAREWELL. 

kindness  of  the  keeper,  we  obtained  water  and  grain  for 
our  animals. 

After  a  short  rest  we  again  started  for  the  Soldier's 
Farewell,  which  we  reached  just  as  the  sun  was  setting. 
The  station  was  situated  in  the  midst  of  this  vast  barren 
plain,  and  was  as  desolate  and  gloomy  a  place  as  one  would 
care  to  find  in  any  country.  The  nearest  water  fit  to  drink 
was  forty  miles  away,  and  had  to  be  hauled  in  hogsheads  by 
mule  teams.  The  stock  drank  the  water  that  collected  in  a 
couple  of  holes,  called  tanks,  and  this,  is  the  only  watering- 
place  on  the  route  of  the  Overland  Mail  across  the  great 
plateau  on  the  line  of  the  32nd  parallel. 

The  whole  place  and  its  surroundings  were  so  palpably 
desolate  and  forbidding  that  we  no  longer  wondered  at  the 
peculiar  name  which  the  station  bore. 

For  myself  I  could  readily  imagine  with  what  joy  a 
soldier  would  utter  his  farewell  to  a  locality  so  entirely 
devoid  of  attractions.  Yet  here  we  were,  and  here  we 
had  to  remain  for  the  night. 

The  next  morning  we  bade  adieu  to  the  Soldier's  Farewell 
at  an  early  hour,  nor  did  we  feel  any  pang  of  regret  at  the 
leave-taking.  Even  our  mules  seemed  to  exhibit  signs  of 
pleasure  at  once  more  starting  for  the  Rio  Grande,  and  gal 
loped  along  the  dry,  dusty  road  with  a  speed  that  Avas  remark 
able.  Resting  on  the  Mimbres,  the  evening  of  the  next  day, 
we  finally  reached  La  Mesilla,  thankful  to  have  escaped 


iifi 


HiiilllBl'' 


IF 


•  MF'ilill'       'lil !.n*' 


JIMMY  IN  A   NEW  ROLE.  239 

the  dangers  which  had  encompassed  us  on  all  sides,  and 
overjoyed  at  the  opportunity  offered  for  rest  after  our  long 
and  tedious  journey. 

Jimmy  was  frantic  in  his  expressions  of  joy,  and  many 
were  the  fabulous  stories  he  told  of  his  travels  through  the 
wilds  of  Arizona;  nor  did  he  forget  old  Jose,  the  "king," 
as  he  continued  to  call  him,  who  always  came  in  for  a  good 
share  of  Jimmy's  imaginative  descriptions. 

We  passed  a  couple  of  weeks  very  pleasantly  in  La 
Mesilla,  where  we  frequently  met  the  officers  stationed  at 
the  United  States  military  post,  known  as  Fort  Fillmore, 
situated  five  miles  below  the  town,  on  the  opposite  bank  of 
the  river. 

Shortly  after  our  arrival  here,  I  was  waited  upon  by  a 
Mr.  White  of  Philadelphia,  who  informed  me  that  he  had 
recently  received  the  appointment  of  sutler  to  the  U.  S. 
Military  Post  of  Fort  Buchanan;  and  learning  that  I  had 
just  returned  from  a  visit  there,  he  had  called  to  inquire 
concerning  the  state  of  the  roads,  condition  of  the  country, 
whether  he  should  be  likely  to  encounter  Indians,  etc.,  etc. 

Mr.  White  stated  that  he  was  accompanied  by  hi&  wife 
and  child;  that  Mrs.  White  found  it  so  tedious  travelling 
with  his  train,  he  had  left  it  behind;  and  taking  two  Mexi 
can  servants,  his  ambulance,  and  four  mules,  had  driven 
on  in  advance,  intending  to  reach  the  fort  as  soon  as 
possible. 


240  A  PLEASANT  FAMILY. 

I  urged  him  to  remain  over  night  with  us,  at  the  same 
time  informing  him  that  I  thought  the  journey  far  from  a 
safe  one  for  himself  and  family. 

After  some  little  hesitation  he  was  induced  to  remain  in 
Mesilla  until  the  next  morning,  and  we  gladly  gave  him  a 
room  in  our  house,  quite  delighted  with  the  good  fortune 
that  had  once  more  brought  us  in  contact  with  an  American 
lady;  for  American  ladies  in  that  country  are  like  angels' 
visits,  few  and  far  between. 

I  found  Mrs.  White  a  charming  little  woman,  about  twenty- 
five  years  of  age,  refined,  and  highly  educated.  She  informed 
me  that  this  was  the  first  time  she  had  ever  left  her  father's 
roof  for  an  absence  of  more  than  a  few  weeks  at  a  time ;  yet 
now  with  her  babe  she  had  left  her  luxurious  home  in  the 
old  Quaker  City,  and  for  nearly  two  months  had  been 
"roughing  it"  on  the  road  from  Lavacca,  Texas,  and  she 
appeared  overjoyed  at  the  prospect  of  being  so  near  her  fu 
ture  home,  which  she  was  exceedingly  anxious  to  learn  all 
about.  Innumerable  were  the  questions  she  asked  concern 
ing  it,  to  all  of  which  I  gave  as  favorable  replies  as  possi 
ble,  descanting  largely  upon  the  magnificent  climate,  the 
beauties  of  the  Sonoita  Valley,  and  the  kindness  and  hos 
pitality  of  the  officers  stationed  there. 

At  Mr.  White's  request  I  made  no  mention  of  the  danger 
to  be  apprehended  from  Indians,  he  deeming  it  at  once 
unnecessary  and  injudicious. 


MASSACRE   OF  ME.    WHITE.  241 

We  passed  a  most  enjoyable  day  in  company  with  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  White,  and  deeply  regretted  that  they  could  re 
main  no  longer  than  the  morrow  with  us. 

It  was  nearly  noon  the  next  day  when  they  took  their 
departure,  the  doctor  and  myself  accompanying  them  some 
miles  on  the  road,  leaving  them  about  three  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon  to  pursue  their  tedious  journey,  while  we  returned 
to  Mesilla,  delighted  with  our  guests,  the  doctor  declaring 
in  the  fulness  of  his  heart  that  he  would  willingly  ride 
over  to  Fort  Buchanan  any  time  for  the  pleasure  of  spend 
ing  a  day  in  the  presence  of  such  a  "right  clever"  lady  as 
was  Mrs.  White. 

Early  the  next  morning  we  were  awakened  by  the  sound 
of  the  great  drum  as  it  was  beaten  in  the  plaza.  As  this 
drum  was  only  beaten  for  the  purpose  of  arousing  the  in 
habitants  to  arms,  I  sprang  to  my  feet,  and  hastily  dressing, 
made  my  way  to  the  plaza,  where  I  found  assembled  about 
a  dozen  Mexicans,  listening  to  the  tale  of  a  couple  of 
rancheros  who  had  just  arrived  from  the  Mimbres. 

They  told  us  that  about  midnight,  while  coming  in  from 
their  ranche,  they  had  found  the  dead  bodies  of  two  men, 
one  an  American,  the  other  a  Mexican,  lying  by  the  roadside 
scalped;  and  at  a  little  distance  from  them,  the  remains  of  an 
ambulance;  also  a  fire  still  burning.  Trunks  broken  open 
and  rifled  of  their  contents  were  scattered  by  the  roadside, 
and  evidences  of  a  massacre  were  everywhere  visible. 
31 


242  PRISONERS. 

The  rancheros  had  brought  with  them  such  articles  as 
they  could  collect,  some  of  which  I  recognized  at  once 
as  belonging  to  Mr.  White.  The  men  were  confident  that 
the  bodies  of  neither  of  the  women  were  there,  which  fact 
made  it  evident  that  they,  with  the  child,  had  been  carried 
away  by  the  savages. 

Requesting  the  alcalde,  who  by  this  time  had  arrived 
upon  the  ground,  to  have  them  continue  beating  the  drum 
for  a  time,  I  mounted  a  horse  and  started  at  once  for  Fort 
Fillmore,  to  inform  the  officers  stationed  there  of  the  oc 
currence.  Meeting  Lieutenant  Rowland  of  the  First  Dra 
goons  near  the  fort,  I  reported  the  facts  to  him,  and  he 
informed  me  that  as  soon  as  possible  he  would  dispatch  a 
squad  of  dragoons  in  pursuit. 

Returning  to  Mesilla  I  found  about  fifty  Mexicans  assem 
bled  in  the  plaza  with  their  horses  and  rifles,  ready  to 
start  at  once  in  pursuit  of  the  Indians;  and  knowing  well 
that  some  delay  must  necessarily  occur  before  the  troops 
would  be  ready  to  accompany  them,  both  the  doctor  and 
myself,  as  well  as  half  a  dozen  other  Americans  present, 
volunteered  to  go  with  the  party,  and  urged  so  strongly 
the  necessity  of  an  immediate  start,  that  Captain  Pardilla, 
the  commandant  of  the  Mexican  force,  gave  the  necessary 
orders,  and  we  set  forth,  accompanied  by  Don  Jesus  Armijo, 
and  Don  Manuel  Chabes,  two  of  the  most  celebrated  Mexi 
can  guides  in  the  country,  as  scouts. 


TO    THE   RESCUE.  243 

A  ride  of  two  hours  arid  a  half  brought  us  to  the  scene  of 
the  massacre.  The  bodies  of  Mr.  White  and  his  servant, 
the  former  half  devoured  by  the  wolves,  lay  by  the  road-side 
pierced  by  many  arrows  and  fearfully  mangled,  while  all 
around  were  discernible  traces  of  the  desperate  efforts  with 
which  the  two  men  had  resisted  the  attack. 

Pausing  at  the  place  only  long  enough  to  decently  bury 
the  bodies,  the  guides,  who  had  been  thoroughly  searching 
the  ground  in  the  vicinity  of  the  massacre,  discovered  that 
the  party  consisted  of  fifteen  Indians;  that  Mrs.  White, 
with  her  babe  and  servant,  had  undoubtedly  been  carried 
away  with  them;  and  that  the  whole  party  had  gone  in  a 
southerly  direction,  towards  the  Florida  Mountains  in 
Chihuahua. 

Swiftly  and  silently  we  sped  on  our  sad  errand  of  mercy. 
Not  a  word  was  spoken;  not  a  sound  was  heard,  save  that  of 
our  horses'  feet  as  we  galloped  over  the  hard,  gravelly  soil 
of  the  plains.  Not  a  moment  did  we  pause,  except  when  the 
guides  dismounted  to  examine  the  trail  more  closely  than 
the  rapid  nature  of  our  pursuit  would  permit  them  to  do 
when  mounted.  Thus  passed  the  day. 

Just  before  nightfall  we  came  to  a  beautiful  green  valley, 
through  which  meandered  a  stream  of  clear,  sparkling  water. 
Here  we  dismounted,  that  our  tired  animals,  as  well  as 
ourselves,  might  obtain  a  little  rest  after  the  exhausting 
journey.  It  was  about  eleven  o'clock,  and  some  time 


244  APACHE    CRUELTY. 

after  the  moon  had  risen,  that  we  again  commenced  the 
pursuit. 

The  trail  soon  led  us  through  a  caiion  in  the  mountains, 
which  we  followed;  and  just  after  daylight  we  reached  a 
spot  where,  from  the  confusion  and  number  of  tracks  visi 
ble,  it  was  evident  the  savages  had  halted  but  a  few  hours 
before. 

While  watering  our  horses  at  a  little  spring  which  bub 
bled  out  from  under  a  huge  rock  close  by,  one  of  the  Mexi 
cans  came  running  up  with  the  dead  body  of  Mrs.  White's 
babe,  which  he  had  found  lying  behind  a  little  bush  near 
the  spring,  thrust  through  and  through  a  dozen  times  with 
Apache  spears.  It  was  indeed  a  sickening  sight.  The 
nude  body  of  this  boy-baby,  with  its  gaping,  ugly  wounds, 
that  silently  but  eloquently  appealed  to  every  spark  of 
manliness  in  our  breasts  for  revenge  upon  its  foul  mur 
derers,  and  the  low,  excited  carrahos  of  the  Mexicans,  told 
more  forcibly  than  words  could  have  done,  that  the  sight 
had  stirred  even  in  their  dull  breasts  unwonted  fires  of  rage. 

We  decided  to  push  on  at  once,  without  waiting,  as  we 
had  intended,  for  the  military  to  overtake  us;  and  tarry 
ing  here  barely  long  enough  to  rest  our  animals,  we 
started  on  the  still  fresh  trail  once  more. 

Two  hours'  hard  riding  brought  us  through  the  canon 
and  out  into  the  open  plain  beyond,  when  far  in  the  dis 
tance  our  guides  pointed  to  a  thin,  blue,  vapory  smoke 


A  RECONNOISSANCE.  245 

ascending  from  among  a  range  of  low  picatchos,  which 
seemed  to  form  a  portion  of  the  Florida  range,  whose  grace 
ful  peaks  rose  in  stately  majesty  just  behind  them. 

Making  a  long  detour,  in  order  that  we  might  approach 
their  camping-place  without  detection,  we  managed  to  get 
within  a  few  miles  of  the  spot,  when,  taking  advantage  of 
the  shelter  afforded  by  a  spur  of  the  mountains  that  projected 
far  out  into  the  plain,  our  guides  suggested  that  we  should 
dismount,  and  permit  our  horses  to  rest,  while  they  made  a 
reconnoissance  of  the  Apaches'  camp. 

In  vain  did  I  urge  an  immediate  attack.  Nothing  that 
I  could  say  would  alter  the  determination  of  the  guides, 
who  would  permit  no  one  to  accompany  them,  lest  a  single 
misstep  or  a  careless  word  should  betray  their  presence 
to  the  wary  foe.  After  enjoining  the  utmost  silence  and 
care  upon  all,  the  guides  departed;  and  nothing  could  be 
doue  but  wait  for  their  return. 

We  threw  ourselves  upon  the  ground,  and  gazed  into  the 
bright  blue  dome  over  our  heads,  or  watched  our  tired  ani 
mals  as  they  greedily  cropped  the  green  grass,  while  we  lis 
tened  to  marvellous  tales  told  by  some  of  the  men  of  the 
skill  and  cunning  of  the  guides  who  had  gone  to  the  enemy's 
camp. 

Thus  the  long  hours  dragged  wearily  on,  without  any  news 
from  the  guides.  The  afternoon  was  far  advanced  when 
one  of  the  men  reported  that  a  new  smoke  had  been  started 


246  WHAT  IT  REVEALED. 

in  the  same  place  where  we  had  seen  it  in  the  morning, 
which  seemed  to  indicate  that  the  Indians  intended  to 
remain  encamped  there  for  the  night. 

It  was  almost  dark  when  the  guides  returned.  They  re 
ported  that  there  were  twelve  Indians  in  the  camp  about 
four  miles  distant.  They  had  obtained  a  good  view  of  it,  and 
saw  both  Mrs.  White  and  her  servant,  who,  worn  out  with 
the  toil  and  fatigue  of  their  terrible  journey,  were  appar 
ently  sleeping.  They  anticipated  no  trouble  in  rescuing 
them,  but  thought  it  safer  not  to  make  the  attempt  until 
later  in  the  night,  when  we  should  probably  find  the  In 
dians  asleep.  Deferring  to  the  opinions  of  the  guides,  we 
possessed  our  souls  with  patience  as  best  we  could,  anxiously 
waiting  for  the  hour  to  come  which  should  determine  for 
weal  or  woe  the  fate  of  the  prisoners,  while  we  discussed 
the  plan  of  attack. 

Our  party  was  to  be  divided  so  that  we  might  completely 
surround  the  Indians,  and  thus  prevent  their  escape.  We 
were  to  take  position  on  the  sides  of  the  hills  which  sur 
rounded  their  camp,  and  at  a  given  signal  —  the  cry  of  the 
whip-poor-will  twice  repeated  —  each  man  was  to  select  an 
Indian  and  fire;  it  being  hoped  that  by  waiting  until  a 
late  hour  the  moon  would  throw  the  full  light  of  its  rays 
directly  into  the  camp,  thus  enabling  us  to  see  the  con 
dition  of  affairs  there. 

No  signs   having   been    discovered   of   the   military,  we 


PLAN  OF  ATTACK.  247 

mounted  our  horses  about  nine  o'clock,  and  quietly  rode 
to  a  point  about  a  mile  distant  from  the  enemy's  camp. 
Here  we  dismounted,  leaving  our  horses  with  six  men,  who 
were  detailed  to  take  charge  of  them. 

The  party  now  separated,  the  portion  in  charge  of  Don 
Manuel  making  a  wide  detour,  in  order  to  reach  the  oppo 
site  side  of  the  camp  undiscovered,  while  the  rest  of  us 
accompanied  Don  Jesus,  and  were  to  wait  the  expected 
signal  from  Don  Manuel. 

Quietly  and  expeditiously  we  made  our  way  to  the 
picalchos,  behind  which  the  enemy  were  encamped.  Not  a 
word  was  spoken;  not  the  sound  of  a  footstep  could  be 
heard.  Occasionally,  as  the  sharp,  quick  "st!  "  of  Don  Jesus 
fell  upon  our  ears,  we  paused  to  hear  his  words  of  caution 
uttered  in  whispered  tones,  or  to  receive  more  explicit 
directions  as  to  the  course  we  were  to  pursue. 

At  last  we  reach  the  foot  of  the  picatcho,  which  we  are 
to  cross.  It  rises  rough  and  dark  before  us,  its  outline 
marked  plainly  against  the  light  of  the  moon,  which  has  not 
yet  risen  above  its  top. 

Slowly  and  cautiously  we  make  our  way  up  its  steep  side, 
exercising  great  care  lest  the  least  noise  should  betray 
our  proximity  to  the  unsuspecting  foe  upon  the  other 
side.  Stealthily  we  creep  towards  the  top  of  the  bluff. 
Not  a  breeze  moans  through  the  tall  pines  above  our 
heads;  nothing  disturbs  the  death-like  silence  that  reigns 


248  A    VIEW   OF   THE  ENEMY'S   CAMP. 

around   us;    and   at  last    the   camp  with   its   occupants   is 
before  us. 

How  eagerly  we  peer  down  into  it  from  behind  the  dark 
rocks,  the  shadows  of  which  makes  the  blackness  more  in 
tense.  By  the  bright  light  of  the  moon  we  can  count  one,  two, 
three,  four,  five,  six,  seven,  eight,  nine  recumbent  forms. 
Two  more  are  crouching  over  the  embers  of  the  fire,  their 
blankets  wrapped  tightly  around  their  shoulders,  as  though 
for  protection  from  the  chill  night  air;  but  nowhere  can 
we  see  the  prisoners. 

Where  can  they  be?  Don  Jesus,  as  though  anticipa 
ting  our  question,  silently  points  to  a  thick  clump  of  pines 
but  a  little  distance  from  the  fire;  and  ere  he  removes  his 
hand,  as  though  answering  the  question  himself,  a  tall 
naked  savage  steps  out  into  the  bright  moonlight  from  this 
very  thicket  of  pines,  and  inclining  his  head  in  a  listening 
attitude,  hurriedly  casts  his  eyes  around  the  camp.  In 
stinctively  we  raise  our  rifle  to  our  shoulder.  But  a  warning 
gesture  from  Don  Jesus  restrains  us  from  taking  advantage 
of  the  splendid  mark  thus  presented,  and  the  Indian  dis 
appears  within  the  shadows  of  the  pines  again. 

Not  a  movement  is  visible  in  the  camp.  Not  a'  sound  is 
heard.  The  hour  which  drags  itself  along  while  we  are 
waiting  for  the  signal  from  Don  Manuel  seems  an  eternity. 

Will  it  never  come?  At  last,  from  the  hill  upon  the 
opposite  side  of  the  camp,  we  hear  the  low,  mournful  notes 


UPPER   PORTION  OF  THE   CA.NOK 


THE  ATTACK.  249 

of  a  whip-poor-will,  so  natural  and  so  truthful  that  it  seems 
to  us  it  must  be  the  cry  of  the  bird  itself.  But  in  an  instant 
we  hear  the  sharp  click  of  Don  Jesus'  rifle,  and  we  ask 
ourselves  the  question,  —  Can  that  be  the  signal  from  Don 
Manuel?  Will  it  be  repeated?  In  the  excitement  of  the 
moment  we  almost  forget  to  breathe.  Every  sense  is  on 
the  alert.  Yes,  there  it  is  again  —  a  low,  plaintive,  yet  per 
fectly  distinct  cry.  Now  the  answer  comes  from  the  lips  of 
Don  Jesus,  to  be  again  repeated  from  the  bluffs  beyond;  and 
then  the  quick,  sharp  ring  of  twenty  rifles  disturbs  the  still 
ness  of  the  night. 

In  an  instant  the  sides  of  the  hill  seem  alive  with  men. 
As  the  sound  of  rolling  rocks,  the  crash  of  tumbling  men, 
and  the  yells  of  excited  Mexicans  fall  upon  the  ears  of  the 
half-awakened  savages,  they  utter  a  feeble  yell  of  defiance, 
and  we  see  three  or  four  dusky  forms  rise  from  the  ground 
and  hastily  make  their  way  into  the  woods. 

Pell-mell  we  rush  for  the  camp;  hurriedly  we  push  our 
way  to  the  thicket  of  pines,  in  which  we  expect  to  find 
the  prisoners.  Are  they  there?  Yes!  we  can  distinguish 
their  forms  even  through  the  deep  shade  of  the  pine 
trees.  They  are  asleep.  The  sound  of  the  struggle  has  not 
yet  awakened  them  from  the  heavy  slumber  into  which  they 
have  fallen.  We  speak.  No  answer.  Can  it  be  death? 
We  place  our  hands  upon  the  bodies.  They  are  warm;  but 
an  indescribable  something  about  them  causes  us  to  hastily  ' 
32 


250  MRS.  WHITE'S  SAD  FATE. 

call  for  a  torch;  and  when  it  is  brought,  what  a  sight  ft 
reveals.  Great  God!  The  remembrance  even  at  this  late 
day  causes  me  to  sicken  at  the  horrors  revealed  by  the 
light  of  that  torch. 

Upon  the  ground  lay  the  bodies  of  Mrs.  White  and  her 
servant,  pierced  with  a  dozen  wounds,  from  each  of  which 
the  life-blood  was  fast  ebbing.  Both  were  dead,  although 
the  still  warm  bodies  bore  testimony  to  the  sad  fact  that 
the  sound  of  our  rifles  had  proved  their  death-knell. 

Seven  of  the  Indians  were  found  dead  in  camp.  The 
rest  had  fled,  no  one  knew  where  or  whither,  leaving 
everything  behind  them.  A  portion  of  our  party  was  at 
once  dispatched  to  secure  their  animals,  nineteen  in 
number,  and  they  were  shortly  loaded  with  all  the  plunder 
of  the  camp,  including  the  articles  stolen  from  Mrs. 
White. 

A  couple  of  rude  litters  were  made,  by  stretching  blank 
ets  over  lance-poles,  and  the  bodies  tenderly  borne  to  our 
place  of  rendezvous.  Under  the  shadows  of  the  cold  gray 
rocks  of  the  Florida  Mountains,  beneath  the  tall  pines  that 
will  ever  sing  their  mournful  requiem,  we  left  the  bodies  of 
Mrs.  White  and  her  servant  in  one  grave.  And  there  they 
repose  to-day, —  the  elegant,  accomplished,  and  refined  mis 
tress  by  the  side  of  her  servant,  their  grave  unmarked 
and  unknown. 

Sadly  we  left  the  lone  grave,  and  returned  to  our  homes 


ARIZONA   AND   NEW  MEXICO.  251 

upon  the  Rio  Grande.  We  did  not  meet  the  military,  as 
they  deemed  it  useless  to  follow  us. 

Nearly  a  year  afterward,  a  friend  in  Tucson  sent  me  a 
portion  of  the  case  of  a  little  watch  that  had  been  taken 
from  a  recently  captured  Apache.  It  bore  the  name  of  E. 
J.  White. 

Reader,  my  sad  tale  is  told. 

While  tarrying  here,  I  determined  to  put  into  execution  a 
long-cherished  plan  that  I  had  formed, —  to  visit  the  scenes 
so  graphically  described  by  old  Father  Niza,  in  his  report 
to  the  Emperor  Charles  V.,  concerning  the  great  city  of 
Cibola  (or,  as  it  was  called  by  the  Spaniards,  Zuni,)  and  its 
inhabitants. 

At  the  time  of  the  author's  residence  in  Arizona,  the  Ter 
ritories  of  Arizona  and  New  Mexico  were  one,  and  as  one 
we  propose  to  regard  them,  although  in  the  year  1863  our 
sapient  legislators  at  Washington,  knowing  about  as  much 
of  the  geographical  formation  of  that  country,  or  the  real 
needs  of  its  inhabitants,  as  a  bear  knows  about  Sunday 
Schools,  declared  the  eastern  boundary  of  the  Territory  of 
Arizona  to  be  an  imaginary  line,  supposed  to  run  somewhere 
near  the  thirty-second  degree  of  longitude  west  from  Wash 
ington,  and  giving  all  that  portion  of  the  Territory  east  of 
said  line,  to  New  Mexico. 

As  the  Zuni  country  is  situated  west  of  the  Rio  Grande, 
and  about  three  hundred  and  eighty  miles  northwest  from 


252  THE   START  FOR  ZUNI. 

Mesilla,  we  determined  to  ascend  the  valley  of  that  river, 
and  start  upon  the  expedition  either  from  the  town  of 
Albuquerque,  or  from  Santa  Fe,  as  we  should  find  most 
convenient. 

Our  government  had  so  recently  whipped  the  Navajoes 
into  a  peace,  that  we  anticipated  no  trouble  from  them; 
and  the  other  tribes  residing  in  the  country  were  gen 
erally  Pueblo  Indians,  and  more  disposed  to  cultivate  the 
soil  than  take  to  the  war-path;  therefore  the  journey 
promised  to  be  a  pleasant  and  peaceable  one,  unless  by 
accident  we  should  encounter  some  marauding  band  of 
Apaches. 

After  recruiting  our  animals,  and  laying  in  a  goodly 
quantity  of  camp-stores  from  the  extensive  stock  of  our 
friends  Grandjean  and  Moran  in  La  Mesilla,  and  from 
Hay  ward  and  McGrotys  at  Fort  Fillmore,  Dr.  Parker  and 
myself,  with  Jimmy  as  cook,  groom,  and  general  factotum, 
turned  our  backs  upon  Mesilla,  bound  for  Albuquerque,  two 
hundred  and  forty  miles  distant,  from  which  point  we  ex 
pected  to  penetrate  into  the  "Zuni  country,"  where  we 
should  find  the  celebrated  city  of  Cibola,  which  with  its 
six  sister  cities,  De  Niza  visited  as  early  as  1539,  and 
which  Coronado  conquered  in  1540.  Their  reports  are 
the  first  really  authentic  history  of  the  kingdom,  although  as 
early  as  1526,  nearly  a  hundred  years  before  the  landing  of 
the  Pilgrim  Fathers,  one  Don  Joseph  de  Bazemzalles  crossed 


INSCRIPTION  ROCK.  253 

the  kingdom  of  Cibola,  and  penetrated  the  country  as  far  as 
the  pueblo  of  Zuni,  or  what  was  then  known  as  the  city  of 
Cibola.  Of  his  expedition  we  have  no  reliable  information. 

Upon  the  western  slope  of  the  Sierra  Madre,  and  not  far 
from  the  still  existing  pueblos  of  Acoma  and  Lagima,  of 
which  we  shall  speak  in  a  succeeding  chapter  of  this  work, 
stands  a  very  remarkable  rock,  called  by  the  Spaniards  "El 
Moro^  and  by  the  Americans  " Inscription  Rock,"  which  is 
thus  described  by  the  Abbe  Domenech:  — 

"The  front  of  this  rock,  which  faces  the  northeast,  is 
vertical,  and  of  a  natural  polish  up  to  two  hundred  and  ten 
feet  of  its  height.  On  this  side  the  base  is  covered  with 
Indian  hieroglyphics  and  Spanish  inscriptions.  The  oppo 
site  declivity  has  the  form  of  a  bastion,  and  possesses  a 
spring  of  translucent  water,  which  bubbles  up  at  its  foot 
from  amid  a  circular  basin  surrounded  by  verdure.  The 
summit  of  the  rock  is  of  white  sandstone,  interveined  with 
yellow.  It  is  perpendicularly  split  in  several  places,  so 
that  at  a  distance  it  perfectly  resembles  the  turrets  of  a 
moresque  castle,  from  which  circumstance  it  evidently  de 
rives  its  name  of  'El  Moro.'  Upon  the  smooth  surface  of 
this  rock  the  Indians,  as  well  as  the  old  Spaniards,  were 
accustomed  to  record  the  object  or  success  of  their  journeys 
through  the  country." 

The  oldest  inscription  to  be  found  upon  it  is  in  the  lower 
left-hand  corner,  and  is  almost  effaced  by  time  and  the 


254        WHAT  IS  FOUND  THEREON. 

elements,  while  it  is  most  effectually  concealed  from  care 
less  eyes  by  the  underbrush  which  has  grown  up  around  it. 
It  is  simply  this:  "Don  Joseph  de  Bazemzalles,  1526." 

Lieutenant  Simpson,  in  the  report  of  his  explorations 
through  this  country  in  1849,  says:  — 

"I  spent  much  time,  and  took  great  pains,  to  decipher 
and  interpret  many  inscriptions  upon  a  very  remarkable 
rock,  as  well  as  to  arrange  them  as  nearly  as  possible  in 
their  chronological  order." 

I  purpose  to  give  in  this  work,  however,  only  a  few  of  the 
many  score  to  be  found  thereon.  The  most  ancient  of  all  is 
that  of  Bazemzalles,  in  1526.  Then  come  the  following:  — 

"Passed  by  this  place  with  dispatches,  16th  day  of  April, 
1606." 

"J.  Aparella,  1619." 

"Governor  and  Captain  General  of  the  province  of  New 
Mexico,  for  our  Lord,  the  King,  passed  by  this  place  on  his 
return  from  the  pueblo  of  Zuni,  on  the  29th  of  July,  of  the 
year  1620,  and  put  them  in  peace  at  their  petition,  asking 
the  favor  to  become  subjects  of  His  Majesty;  and  anew  they 
gave  obedience.  All  of  which  they  did  with  free  consent, 
knowing  it  prudent,  as  well  as  very  Christian." 

"To  so  distinguished  and  gallant  a  soldier,  indomitable 
and  famed,  we  love  ..."  (The  balance  of  this  inscription 
is  so  completely  obliterated,  that  it  was  impossible  to  de 
cipher  it.) 


FATHER   MARCO     DE    NIZA.  255 

"Here  passed  General  Don  Diego  de  Baragas,  to  conquer 
Sante  Fe  for  the  Royal  Crown,  New  Mexico,  at  his  own 
cost,  in  the  year  1692." 

The  only  two  inscriptions  to  be  found  in  English,  are 
these:  — 

"O.  R.,  March  19,  1836."  The  other  that  of  Lieutenant 
Simpson  himself,  bearing  date  September  18,  1849. 

Whatever  became  of  Bazemzalles  and  his  band  of  adven 
turers,  if  he  had  any,  none  can  tell.  How  they  perished, 
or  where  their  bones  lie  bleaching,  are  alike  unknown. 

The  simple  inscription  upon  the  side  of  "El  Moro" 
seems  to  be  the  only  record  of  his  journeyings  extant. 

Marco  de  Niza,  a  Franciscan  monk  before  referred  to, 
gives  us  the  first  information  concerning  this  country  and 
its  people. 

On  the  7th  of  March,  1539,  he  was  dispatched  by  Fran 
cisco  Vasquez  de  Coronado,  a  nobleman  of  Salamanca,  and 
governor  of  the  province,  "to  descry  the  country."  He 
took  with  him  the  friar  Honoratus,  and  an  Arabian  negro, 
called  Esteva.  Starting  from  Petatlan,  a  town  of  Culi- 
can, —  so  called  because  its  inhabitants  lived  in  houses  built 
of  matted  rushes,  called  petates, —  he  went  "following 
as  the  Holy  Ghost  did  lead,"  passing  through  "great 
deserts,  and  meeting  Indians  who  marvelled  to  see  him, 
having  no  knowledge  of  any  Christians,  or  even  of  any 
Indians  on  the  other  side  of  the  desert." 


256  HIS  JOURNE TINGS. 

The  inhabitants  were  numerous  and  intelligent.  The 
women  wore  petticoats,  or  dresses,  of  deer-skin,  but  the} 
had  no  idea  of  Christianity.  They  called  Niza  "Soyota,"  or 
man  come  down  from  heaven,  and  would  try  to  touch  his 
garments.  They  informed  him  that  he  would  soon  come  to 
a  great  plain,  full  of  large  towns,  which  were  inhabited  by 
a  people  clad  in  cotton,  wearing  gold  rings  and  ear-rings, 
and  "using  little  blades  of  the  same  metal  to  scrape  the 
sweat  from  their  bodies." 

About  this  time  the  negro  Esteva,  who  had  been  giving 
the  good  father  "great  trouble  on  account  of  misconducting 
himself  towards  the  women  of  the  country,  and  only  thought 
of  enriching  himself,"  was  sent  away  by  Father  Niza  on  a 
voyage  of  discoveiy,  accompanied  by  some  "emancipated 
Indians. ' ' 

Four  days  after  Esteva 's  departure,  he  dispatched  two 
messengers  to  Father  Niza,  acquainting  him  with  the  dis 
covery  of  a  wonderful  city  called  Cibola. 

These  messengers  the  good  father  called  pintados,  because 
their  faces,  breasts,  and  arms  were  painted.  They  told 
him  that  a  man  might  travel  in  thirty  days  to  this  great 
city  of  Cibola,  which  was  the  first  of  the  seven  cities. 

They  also  informed  him  that  they  often  went  there  after 
"turquoise  and  ox-hides,"  which  they  received  as  "wage 
for  tilling  the  ground."  They  said  that  the  inhabitants  of 
Cibola  dressed  in  "gowns  of  cotton  down  to  the  feet,  with 


THE   INHABITANTS.  257 

a  button  at  the  neck ;  that  they  girded  themselves  with  gir 
dles  of  turquoises,  or  hide  of  kine,"  all  of  which  reports 
so  greatly  pleased  the  good  father,  that  he  determined  to 
follow  on  after  Esteva. 

He  continued  his  journey  for  five  days,  * 'always  finding 
inhabited  places,  and  great  hospitality." 

Before  reaching  the  desert,  he  arrived  at  a  very  pleasant 
town,  where  he  found  many  people,  both  men  and  women, 
"clothed  in  cotton,  and  some  in  ox-hides,  which  generally 
they  take  for  better  apparel  than  that  of  cotton. ' '  He  says :  — 

"All  the  people  of  this  village  go  in  caconados;"  that 
is  to  say,  with  turquoises  hanging  at  their  nostrils  and  ears, 
which  they  call  caconas.  The  lord  of  the  village,  and  others 
beside  him,  were  "apparelled  in  cotton,  in  caconados,  with 
a  collar  of  turquoises  about  their  necks." 

They  gave  him  "conies,"  quails,  maize,  and  nuts  of  pine- 
trees,  and  offered  him  turquoises,  ox-hides,  and  fair  vessels 
to  drink  in,  which  he  declined. 

They  informed  him  that  beside  the  seven  cities  of  Cibola, 
there  wore  three  other  kingdoms,  called  Marata,  Acus,  and 
Totonteac,  and  that  in  Totonteac  were  great  quantities  of 
woollen  cloth,  such  as  he  himself  wore,  made  from  the  fleece 
of  wild  beasts,  which  were  about  the  size  of  the  two  spaniels 
that  he  carried  with  him. 

The  next  day  he  entered  the  desert;  and  when  he  came 
to  dine  he  found  "bowers  made,  and  victuals  in  abundance." 
33 


258  HE  HEARS    OF  CIBOLA. 

These   the   Indians   provided   for  him   all  the   way  across 
the  desert,  which  was  four  days'  journey. 

Then  he  came  to  a  valley  "inhabited  by  a  goodly  people. 
It  was  well  watered  and  like  a  garden,  abounding  in 
victuals  sufficient  to  feed  about  three  thousand  horsemen." 

Through  this  valley  he  travelled  five  days.  Here,  too,  he 
found  a  man  born  in  Cibola,  having  escaped  from  the  gov 
ernor-lieutenant  of  the  same.  "For,"  he  says,  "the  lord 
of  the  seven  cities  liveth  and  abideth  in  one  of  these  towns 
called  Abacus,  and  in  the  rest  he  appointeth  lieutenants 
under  him." 

This  townsman  of  Cibola  was  a  white  man,  of  good  com 
plexion,  well  advanced  in  years,  and  of  far  greater  intellect 
than  the  inhabitants  of  this  valley  or  the  others  left  behind. 

He  says:  "Cibola  is  a  great  city,  inhabited  by  a  great 
store  of  people,  and  having  many  streets  and  market-places. 
In  some  parts  of  the  city  are  certain  great  houses,  five 
stories  high,  wherein  the  chief  of  the  city  do  assemble 
themselves  on  certain  days  of  the  year.  The  houses  are  of 
lime  and  stone,  the  gates  and  small  pillars  of  thetprincipal 
houses  are  of  turquoises,  and  all  the  vessels  wherein  they 
are  served  are  of  gold.  The  other  six  cities  are  like  untc 
this,  and  Abacus  is  the  chief est  of  them  all. 

"To  the  southwest  is  a  kingdom  called  Marata,  where  there 
be  great  cities  builded  of  houses  of  stone,  with  many  lifts 
Likewise  the  kingdom  of  Totonteac  lieth  to  the  west,  a  ver} 


ESTEVA   PUT   TO  DEATH.  259 

mighty  province,  replenished  with  infinite  store  of  riches; 
and  in  the  said  kingdom  they  wear  woollen  cloth  made  of 
the  fleece  of  animals,  and  they  are  a  very  civil  people." 
They  showed  him  "a  hide  half  as  big  again  as  the  hide  of 
an  ox,  which  belonged  to  a  beast  with  one  horn.  The 
color  of  the  skin  was  like  that  of  a  goat,  and  the  hair  was 
a  finger  long."  Father  Niza  was  still  fifteen  days'  journey 
from  the  great  city  of  Cibola,  following  in  the  course  of  the 
negro  Esteva. 

He  started  once  more  on  the  9th  of  May,  determined  to 
accomplish  the  journey  without  any  further  delay.  He  trav 
elled  for  twelve  days,  when  he  met  one  of  the  Indians  who 
had  accompanied  Esteva,  and  "in  great  fright,  and  covered 
with  sweat,"  he  hastily  informed  Father  Niza  that  the 
inhabitants  of  Cibola  had  seized  the  negro,  and  after 
imprisoning  him,  had  put  him  to  death,  together  with 
several  of  the  Indians  of  his  party. 

This  statement  greatly  disconcerted  the  good  father,  who 
much  feared  to  put  his  life  in  sueh  jeopardy.  Still,  witb 
the  indomitable  pluck  that  always  characterized  those  earl) 
adventurers,  he  determined  to  see  the  great  city,  if  he  could 
not  enter  it.  To  this  end  he  made  one  more  day's  jour 
ney,  where,  ascending  a  mountain,  he  viewed  the  city. 

He  says:  "It  is  situated  upon  the  plain  at  the  foot  of  a 
round  hill,  and  maketh  show  to  be  a  fair  city.  It  is  better 
seated  than  any  I  have  seen  in  these  parts.  The  houses  are 


260  .  NIZA   SEES    CIBOLA. 

builded  in  order  and  all  made  of  stone,  with  divers  stories 
and  flat  roofs." 

Having  ascertained  these  facts,  and  seen  the  city  with  his 
own  eyes,  Father  Niza  at  once  retraced  his  steps;  and  after 
many  days'  journey,  during  which  he  experienced  nothing 
but  kindness  from  the  hands  of  the  Indians,  he  finally 
reached  the  province  of  Culican,  where  he  straightway  made 
report  to  the  governor  of  all  the  strange  things  he  had  seen. 
The  Abbe"  Em  Domenech,  in  his  work  on  the  deserts  of  North 
America,  says,  in  speaking  of  Father  Niza's  journey:  — 

"The  information  given  by  Father  Marcos  is  so  vague  that 
it  is  scarcely  possible  to  state  precisely  the  route  he  fol 
lowed,  or  to  indicate  the  geographical  position  of  the 
countries  through  which  he  passed. 

'There  would  seem  to  be,  however,  good  authority  for 
supposing  that  his  journey  was  made  through  the  valley  of 
the  Gila,  instead  of  the  Eio  Verde  country;  across  the 
Colorado  Chiquito,  thence  through  the  Mogollon  Mountains, 
and  across  the  great  plateau  to  the  western  slope  of  the 
Sierra  Madre." 

That  he  visited  the  Casas  Grandes,  already  described  in 
a  preceding  chapter,  there  is  no  doubt,  as  it  is  most 
probable  that  they  would  be  included  in  that  portion 
of  country  called  the  kingdom  of  Marata.  Niza  says  in  his 
report  before  referred  to,  "And  these  people  of  Marata 
have,  and  do,  wage  war  with  the  lord  of  the  seven  cities, 


NIZA'S   REPORT.  261 

through  which  war  the  kingdom  of  Marata  is  for  the  most 
part  wasted,  although  it  yet  continueth  and  maintaineth  war 
against  the  others." 

This  being  the  only  information  we  have  concerning 
the  early  settlements  on  the  Gila,  it  is  much  to  be  regretted 
that  Niza's  report  is  not  more  explicit. 

Upon  his  return,  it  would  seem  that  he  decided  to  visit  the 
kingdom  of  Totonteac,  which  was  undoubtedly  comprised 
of  those  towns  lying  upon  the  Rio  Verde  and  Pueblo  Creek; 
but  from  fear  of  the  Indians,  he  did  not  go  into  it,  though 
he  saw  it  from  afar  off,  lying  in  a  low  valley,  ''being  very 
green,  and  having  a  most  fruitful  soil,  out  of  which  ran 
many  streams." 

Of  course  this  is  mostly  conjecture,  founded  principally 
upon  the  fact  that  no  other  ruins  are  known  to  exist  in  the 
direction  given  from  Cibola,  by  Father  Niza. 

The  wonderful  reports  of  Father  Niza  so  fired  the  patri 
otic  heart  of  Captain-General-Governor  Francisco  Vasquez 
de  Coronado,  that  he  determined  to  view  with  his  own  eyes 
chis  wonderful  city  of  Cibola.  To  this  end  he  commenced 
at  once  to  organize  an  expedition,  which  he  proposed  to 
lead  in  person,  having  for  its  object  the  conquest  of  the 
kingdom  of  Cibola. 

This  army  he  assembled  at  the  town  of  Compostella, 
in  the  province  of  Culican,  and  was  composed  of  one 
hundred  and  fifty  horsemen,  two  hundred  archers,  the 


262  CORONADVS  ARMY. 

flower  and  chivalry  of  the   province,  together   with   eight 
hundred  emancipated  Indians. 

The  army  set  forth  the  day  following  Easter,  1540,  and 
marched  to  the  outermost  limit  of  the  province  of  Culican, 
where  it  halted  for  rest.  Coronado,  however,  could  ill 
brook  even  this  delay;  so  he  determined  to  push  on  ahead, 
in  company  with  Father  Niza,  fifty  chosen  horsemen,  and 
seventy  archers,  entrusting  the  command  of  the  remainder 
of  his  army  to  one  Don  Tristrau  de  Arellano,  with  instruc 
tions  to  remain  in  camp  fifteen  days,  and  then  follow  the 
route  pursued  bv  himself. 


CHAPTER   XVII. 

FTER  forty  days  of  toil  and  priva 
tions  of  all  kinds,  Coronado  arrived 
at  a  place  he  calls  "Chichilticall," 
which  signifies  Red  Town,  a  name 
which  seems  to  have  been  given  by  Coronado  himself,  on 
account  of  "a  very  large  house  there  of  red  color,  inhabited 
by  an  entire  tribe  that  came  from  towards  Cibola,  where 
the  last  desert  begins." 

At  this  point  Coronado 's  troubles  seemed  to  have  begun 
in  earnest.  He  lost  some  of  his  horses,  as  well  as  a  number 
of  his  men,  for  want  of  food;  and  his  army  became  greatly 
discouraged,  and  clamored  loudly  to  return  to  Culican. 

But  Coronado  was  made  of  no  such  stuff,  and  was  bound 
to  proceed.  After  the  delay  of  a  week  at  Red  Town,  he  with 
his  followers  continued  the  march.  In  two  weeks'  time  they 
had  arrived  at  a  point  within  twenty  miles  of  Cibola. 

Here  for  the  first  time  they  met  several  natives  of  the 
kingdom;  but  they,  becoming  frightened,  immediately  took 


264  A   BATTLE. 

to  flight,  spreading  the  alarm  throughout  the  country  by 
means  of  great  fires,  which  they  kindled  on  the  high  moun 
tains  (a  custom  followed  by  the  Indians  of  Arizona  and 
New  Mexico  to  this  day). 

At  this  point  Coronado  seems  to  have  tarried  for  a  time, 
in  order  to  enable  Don  Tristan  d'Arellano,  with  the  re 
mainder  of  his  army,  to  overtake  him.  After  waiting  in 
vain  for  some  weeks,  he  at  last  determined  to  advance  to 
the  walls  of  Cibola  without  reinforcements. 

In  his  report  to  the  Emperor  Charles  V.,  he  says:  "Af 
ter  we  had  passed  thirty  leagues  of  the  most  wicked  way, 
we  found  fresh  rivers  and  grass  like  that  of  Castile,  and 
many  nut-trees,  whose  leaf  differs  from  that  of  Spain. 
And  there  was  flax,  but  chiefly  seen  on  the  banks  of  a  cer 
tain  river,  which,  therefore,  we  called  El  Rio  del  Lino.*  At 
hist  I  did  arrive  at  the  walls  of  Cibola,  and  I  sent  a  mes 
senger  thither,  who  was  ill-treated  and  fired  at."  Coronado 
found  that  the  people  of  the  province  were  all  assembled, 
and  with  "steady  attitude"  awaited  his  coming. 

He  valiantly  attacked  the  city,  and  after  a  desperate 
fight,  in  which  he  was  struck  by  a  large  stone  and  unhorsed, 
and  only  saved  from  bodily  harm  by  the  strength  of  his 
armor  and  the  devotedness  of  his  friends,  Garcia  Lopez 
de  Cardenas  and  Horonardo  de  Alvarado,  who  shielded 
him  with  their  bodies,  while  some  others  helped  him  up, 

*  Flax  River. 


DON  TRISTAN'S  ADVENTURES.  265 

the  city  capitulated,  and  Coronado  marched  in  and  took 
possession. 

He  found  neither  old  men,  women,  nor  children  under 
fifteen  years  of  age,  in  the  town,  they  having  been  taken  to 
the  mountains  before  the  assault  began.  He  found,  how 
ever,  plenty  of  corn,  of  which  they  were  greatly  in  need. 

While  waiting  here  for  the  arrival  of  Don  Tristan  and 
his  command,  Coronado  dispatched  one  of  his  officers,  by 
name  Garcia  Lopez  de  Cardenas,  with  a  handful  of  men,  to 
visit  the  Moquis  villages  situated  at  the  distance  of  a  few 
leagues  from  Cibola.  De  Cardenas,  however,  seems  to 
have  lost  his  way;  and  after  travelling  for  twenty  days 
through  a  broken,  volcanic  country,  with  insufficient  food 
for  man  or  beast,  he  suddenly  came  to  a  "great  cleft  in 
the  earth's  surface,  which  prevented  them  from  going  any 
farther." 

De  Cardenas  describes  the  cleft  to  be  "deeper  than  the 
side  of  the  highest  mountain;  while  the  torrent  below  was 
scarcely  a  fathom  wide.  Two  men  tried  to  descend  its 
steep,  precipitous  sides;  and  after  experiencing  the  most 
terrible  difficulties,  they  managed  to  climb  down  perhaps  a 
quarter  of  the  way,  when  their  progress  was  stopped  by  a 
rock,  which  seemed  from  above  to  be  no  greater  than  a 
man,  but  which  in  reality  was  higher  than  the  top  of  the 
cathedral  tower  at  Seville." 

Never  had  they  seen  such  a  sight  before;  and  not  know- 
34 


•266  STARVATION  AND   DEATH. 

ing  what  might  be  in  further  store  for  them  if  they  pro 
ceeded  down  the  chasm,  they  straightway  returned,  that 
they  might  report  this  wonderful  impediment  to  Captain 
Cardenas. 

In  the  mean  time  Don  Tristan  ai>d  the  men  under  his 
command  were  slowly,  and  in  the  face  of  most  trying  ob 
stacles,  making  their  way  along  towards  Cibola,  where  they 
hoped  to  effect  a  junction  with  the  general-iu-chief. 

Hunger  assailed  their  ranks,  and  many  of  the  men  died 
from  absolute  starvation,  which  so  affected  Don  Tristan 
that  he  changed  his  route  to  one  farther  north,  hoping 

thereby  to  better  the  condition  of  his  army. 

i 

This  course  soon  brought  him  among  a  very  depraved 
class  of  people.  "The  women  painted  their  chins  and 
around  their  eyes.  The  men  were  very  wicked,  and  in 
toxicated  themselves  with  wine  made  from  the  pitahaya 
or  maguey,  which  grew  in  abundance  throughout  the 
country." 

After  passing  through  almost  insurmountable  difficulties, 
Don  Tristan  and  his  army  finally  reached  Cibola,  and  joined 
Coronado,  who  was  much  dissatisfied  with  the  results  thus 
far  obtained. 

He  says  in  his  report,  "It  rernaineth  now  to  testify 
whereof  the  Father  Provincial,  Niza,  made  report  to  your 
majesty.  And  to  be  brief,  I  can  assure  your  honor  he  said 
the  truth  in  nothing  that  he  reported;  but  all  was  quite 


THE   MILLS   OF  CIBOLA.  267 

contrary,  save  only  the  names  of  the  cities  and  the  great 
houses  of  stone.  The  seven  cities  are  seven  towns,  all  made 
of  these  kind  of  many-storied  houses.  They  all  exist,  and 
within  four  leagues  of  each  other,  and  are  called  the  king 
dom  of  Cibola." 

He  further  says,  "They  eat  the  best  cakes  I  ever  saw, 
and  have  the  finest  order  and  way  of  grinding.  One  woman 
of  this  country  will  grind  as  much  as  four  women  of  Mex 
ico.  That  which  these  people  worship,  as  far  as  we  hith 
erto  can  learn,  is  the  water;  for  they  say  it  causeth  the  corn 
to  grow,  and  maintaineth  their  lives." 

Becoming  tired  of  the  inactive  life  at  Zuni,  Coronado 
determined  to  start  forth  in  the  hope  of  finding  yet  undis 
covered  territory.  With  this  object  in  view  he  started 
eastward,  into  the  valley  of  the  Rio  Grande. 

He  soon  came  to  Acoma,  or,  as  he  calls  it,  "Acuco,"  a 
town  on  an  exceedingly  "strong  hill,"  four  leaguls  from 
which  he  met  with  a  "new  kind  of  oxen,"  *  "very  wild 
and  fierce,  of  which  the  first  day  they  killed  four  score, 
which  supplied  the  army  with  flesh, —  for  all  the  way  was 
as  full  of  crooked-backed  oxen  as  the  mountain-sierras  in 
Spain  are  of  sheep." 

"Coronado  now  took  measures,"  says  the  Abbe  Dorne- 
nech,  "to  push  his  conquest,  by  Ciiking  possession  of  the 
province  of  Tiguex,  on  the  Rio  Grande."  This  province  he 

*  Buffalo. 


268 


MONTEZUMA'S   CHURCH. 


captured  after  a  fight  of  fifty  days.  It  consisted  of  twelve 
towns,  the  principal  of  which  were  Pecos,  Querra,  Abo,  and 
Gran  Quivera. 

Pecos  was  a  fortified  town  of  several  stories.  It  was 
built  on  a  high  mesa,  and  overlooked  the  country  around 
for  many  miles.  Here  stood  the  large  Mexican  temple, 
Montezuma's  church,  which  was  three  stories  high,  ant) 


where  burned  the  sacred  flame  day  and  night.  The  Indian 
legend  is,  that  Montezuma  built  this  pueblo  himself,  and 
with  his  own  hands  placed  the  sacred  fire  in  the  estufa,  at 
the  same  time  warning  his  people  that  when  they  allowed  it 
to  go  out,  death  would  come.  Before  he  left  them,  he  took 
a  tall  tree,  and,  inverting  it,  planted  it  near  the  estufa, 
saying,  if  they  did  not  permit  the  sacred  flame  to  be 


CORONADO  MEETS    WITH  AN  ACCIDENT.    269 

extinguished  until  the  tree  fell,  men  with  pale  faces  would 
come  into  the  country  from  the  East,  and,  overrunning  it, 
would  drive  their  oppressors,  the  Spaniards,  from  the 
country;  when  he  himself  would  return  and  build  up  his 
kingdom,  the  earth  should  become  fertile,  and  the  moun 
tains  yield  rich  harvests  of  gold  and  silver.  All  of  which 
predictions  these  Indians  claim  have  been  literally  ful 
filled. 

Late  in  the  year  1542,  Coronado,  becoming  tired  of  con 
quest,  organized  a  series  of  festivals  for  the  amusement  of 
his  army  and  the  Indians;  and  at  one  of  them,  held  at 
Tiguex,  Coronado  himself  was  thrown  from  his  horse  while 
"running  the  ring"  with  one  Don  Pedro  Maldonado,  and 
severely  injured.  This  accident  seems  to  have  been  the 
primary  cause  of  a  great  desire  on  the  part  of  Coronado  to 
reurn  to  his  province  of  Culican.  His  army  became  greatly 
demoralized  in  consequence  of  this  fact  becoming  known, 
and  soon  disbanded,  scattering  throughout  the  newly-dis 
covered  country.  -Few  of  them  were  ever  afterwards  heard 
from.  Coronado,  with  a  few  trusty  followers,  arrived  in 
Culican  in  April,  1543. 

I  had  long  entertained  a  desire  to  see  the  ruins  of  this 
country,  and  many  facts  and  incidents  connected  with  them, 
related  to  me  by  Major  Ruff  of  the  U.  S.  Army,  who  com 
manded  an  expedition  through  the  Navajoe  country  in  '57, 
so  strengthened  the  inclination,  that  I  should  have  made  the 


270  WILL    YOU  ACCOMPANY   US? 

trip  alone,  had  I  been  unable  to  find  anybody  to  accompany 
me. 

The  preceding  pages  contain  the  early  history  of  the  coun 
try  which  we  proposed  to  visit  at  this  time,  and  we  asked 
ourselves  the  questions  many  times  over, —  Shall  we  be  able 
to  recognize  the  different  localities  from  the  slight  knowledge 
we  have  of  them?  Shall  we  find,  inhabiting  the  pueblos,  de 
scendants  of  the  people  so  minutely  described  by  Father 
Niza  and  Coronado,  possessing  any  of  the  characteristics 
and  habits  of  their  ancestors? 

Header,  will  you  accompany  us  in  our  journey,  or  shall 
we  part  here?  Do  you  care  to  encamp  with  us  at  each 
stopping-place  we  make  on  the  long  dusty  drive  to  Albu- 
qurque,  or  will  you  be  content  to  know  that  we  crossed  the 
Jong  Jornada  of  ninety  miles  without  water,  in  safety  ?  That 
on  our  right  hand  we  saw  each  day  the  peaks  of  the  Sierra 
Blanca,  the  Organos,  and  the  Oscruro;  and  on  our  left  those 
of  the  Mimbres,  while  afar  off,  to  the  north  and  west,  the 
snow-clad  peaks  of  the  Sierra  Madre  range  glistened  each  day 
ill  the  bright  sunshine  like  huge  cones  of  crystal,  stretching 
from  seven  to  nine  thousand  feet  in  the  air;  that  after  a 
weary  journey  of  five  days  we  were  at  last  delighted  with  a 
sight  of  the  twin  spires  on  the  church  in  Albuqurque;  that 
we  found  here  one  of  the  neatest,  and  at  the  same  time  most 
interesting  towns  we  had  yet  seen  in  the  country;  that  we 
accepted  the  generous  hospitality  of  our  friend,  Judge  Baird, 


A   NOTED   CHARACTER. 


271 


who  for  thirteen  years  had  resided  there ;  that  nearly  every 
house  in  the  city  had  a  piece  of  land  or  garden  well  filled 
with  peach,  apple,  and  plum  trees  of  nearly  every  variety, 
or  with  vines  growing  the  most  luscious  grapes?  Shall  I 
tell  you  of  the  little  American  colony  which  we  found  here ; 


KIT   CAESON. 

and  that  here  we  saw  and  talked  for  a  long  while  with  the 
veritable  Kit  Carson  himself,  a  little  weazen-faced,  light- 
haired,  wiry,  active  front ierman,  who  wore  his  hair  long, 
and  swore  in  a  horrible  jargon  of  Spanish  and  English, 
and  who  didn't  "fear  no  Injun  a  livin'?" 


272  SECURING    A    GUIDE. 

We  passed  three  days  very  pleasantly  at  Albuqurque, 
and  through  the  kindness  of  Judge  Baird  obtained  the  ser 
vices  of  a  Mexican  named  Rafael  Orrantia,  as  guide  \  a  man 
thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  entire  country  through 
which  we  were  to  pass,  and  who  could  take  us  to  the  ruins  of 
every  pueblo,  and  knew  the  shortest  and  best  route  to 
every  spring  or  stream  of  water  to  be  found  in  that 
region.  In  short,  a  most  valuable  man,  especially  as  he 
bore  the  reputation  of  being  an  honest  one, —  a  qualifi 
cation  rarely  to  be  found  among  men  of  his  class. 

Jimmy  was  much  pleased  with  our  new  acquisition, 
and  gravely  informed  me  the  morning  after  I  had  engaged 
him,  that  he  was  an  "illegant  cook,"  and  would  "relave 
him  of  a  great  daal  of  the  risponshibility  a  ristin'  on  his 
shoulders, "  a  relief  that  I  very  much  fear  Jimmy  did  not 
experience  in  as  great  a  degree  as  he  had  anticipated. 

As  our  guide  informed  us  that  we  should  have  to  descend 
the  Rio  Grande  as  far  as  Isletta,  a  small  Mexican  village 
nearly  twenty  miles  below  Albuqurque,  if  we  desired  to  visit 
Laguna  and  Acoma,  we  decided  to  move  down  the  valley 
that  day,  in  order  to  be  ready  for  an  early  start  the  next 
morning. 

The  valley  of  the  Rio  Grande,  from  Santa  Fe  for  nearly 
four  hundred  miles  south,  as  well  as  far  to  the  north,  bears, 
every  evidence  of  having  at  one  time  supported  a  dense 
population 


ABBtf  DOMENECH'S   OBSERVATIONS.         278 

In  speaking  of  the  former  population  of  New  Mexico 
and  Arizona,  the  Abbe  Domenech  observes:  "When  New 
Mexico  was  discovered,  the  country  extending  from  the 
Pacific  on  the  one  side  to  the  Rio  Grande  on  the  other,  was 
but  a  succession  of  towns,  villages,  and  habitations,  joined 
together  by  cultivated  fields,  orchards,  and  roads.  But  the 
great  multitude  of  human  beings  have  almost  disappeared 
since  the  conquest.  The  silence  of  the  wilderness  has 
succeeded  to  the  joyful  songs  of.  the  extinct  population, 
and  the  aridity  of  the  desert  replaces  the  fertility  of  the 
soil.  Wormwood  and  artemisia  now  grow  where  fields 
of  rose-trees  and  Indian  corn  formerly  flourished.  The 
cactus,  mesquit,  and  the  dwarf  cedar  vegetate  on  the  rem 
nant  of  the  pine  and  fruit  trees,  reduced  to  powder  by 
constant  droughts.  The  sun  darts  its  perpendicular  and 
scorching  rays  on  the  arid  and  barren  rocks,  which  sparkle 
by  day  like  gigantic  diamonds.  All  the  smiling  nature,  so 
lovely  in  by-gone  days,  has  retained  nothing  of  its  former 
glory  but  a  melancholy  beauty,  not  unlike  the  sickly  hues 
of  a  flower  washed  by  the  waves  of  the  sea." 

He  also  estimates  the  population  residing  between  the 
thirty-fourth  and  thirty-sixth  degrees  N.  lat.,  and  extending 
from  the  Canadian  Eiver  through  to  the  Gulf  of  California, 
to  be  at  least  one  hundred  and  forty -nine  thousand  souls,  as 
late  as  1856.  This  estimate  is  generally  believed  to  be 
largely  in  excess  of  the  actual  population,  though  less  than 
35 


274  VINE-CLAD   ISLETTA. 

one-tenth  of  the  number  who  inhabited  it  at  the  time  of 
Coronado's  conquest. 

The  Pueblo  Indians  in  the  valley  of  the  Rio  Grande,  who 
in  1790  numbered  twelve  thousand,  in  1864  numbered  less 
than  six  thousand,  and  they  are  steadily  decreasing  in 
numbers  every  year.  Not  many  years  will  elapse  beforo 
this  industrious,  semi-civilized  race  will  become  extinct, 
and  the  places  that  have  known  them  for  so  many  hundred 
years  will  know  them  no  more  forever. 

Bidding  good-bye  to  our  friends  in  Albuqurque,  we  started 
about  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning  for  the  little  village  of 
Isletta,  where  we  were  to  cross  the  Rio  Grande,  our  new 
guide  riding  some  distance  ahead  of  us  on  a  tough  little 
mule  that  one  could  almost  have  carried  under  his  arm, 
had  it  not  been  for  his  kicking  propensities,  which,  to  our 
cost,  we  found  largely  developed. 

At  Isletta  we  found  a  very  neat,  well-to-do  village,  the 
houses  being  of  adobe,  and  nicely  whitewashed,  giving  to 
the  place  a  cheerful,  pleasant  aspect,  rarely  found  in  Mexi 
can  towns.  They  were  large  and  well-constructed;  the 
acequias  nicely  kept,  and  the  vineyards  yielding  abundantly, 
all  the  result  of  Indian  labor. 

We  Were  soon  encamped  in  a  shady,  pleasant  spot  near 
the  river-bank,  and  enjoying  a  most  excellent  repast,  which 
Jimmy,  in  company  with  Don  Rafael,  had  provided  for 
us,  not  forgetting  a  generous  supply  of  Isletta  wine,  nn 


JIMMY  ASTONISHED.  275 

well  as  some  very  fine  grapes  sent  us  by  Don  Jesus 
Barela. 

In  talking  over  the  matter  with  Dr.  Parker,  we  concluded 
that  our  first  objective  points  should  be  Laguna  and  Acoma, 
and  that  from  these  pueblos  our  course  should  be  for  Zuni 
by  the  most  direct  and  easily  travelled  route.  After  making 
these  points  we  should  be  guided  by  circumstance,  having 
supplies  sufficient  to  last  fifty  days. 

We  retired  to  rest  quite  early,  as  we  naturally  expected 
some  delay  in  fording  the  river  at  this  place,  which  was 
about  three  hundred  feet  wide,  though  not  more  than  three 
or  four  feet  deep. 

The  Rio  Grande  is  one  of  the  most  uncertain  streams  in 
the  known  world,  owing  to  the  peculiar  nature  of  the  soil 

through  which  it  runs.     Its   bottom   is   nothing  less  than  a 

• 

mass  of  quicksand;  and  as  we  had  been  informed  that  the 
ford  here  was  hazardous  and  very  uncertain,  it  was  with  no 
enviable  feeling  that  we  looked  at  the  muddy,  turbid  water, 
and  realized  the  difficulties  we  might  encounter  in  getting 
our  mules  and  heavily-laden  wagon  safely  across  the  stream 
and  up  the  steep  bank  on  the  opposite  side. 

Early  in  the  morning  we  were  awakened  by  the  loud 
cries  of  Jimmy,  who  was  exclaiming  in  a  loud  tone  of  voice 
that  "millions  wouldn't  timpt  him  to  take  another  stip  in 
such  a  damned  counthry  ez  this;  for  if  'twasn't  thim  bloody 
Injuns  'twas  somethin'  ilse,  and  he  was  goin'  home  imma 


276  JIMMY  ALARMED. 

jately,  this  blissed  minnit,"  at  the  same  time  calling  loudly 
upon  the  "howly  saints  for  protiction."  It  was  some  time 
before  we  could  ascertain  the  cause  of  Jimmy's  great  excite 
ment,  for  he  certainly  talked  very  unintelligibly.  Finally, 
however,  he  became  sufficiently  calm  to  ask,  "An  whare's 
the  river?"  Upon  our  pointing  in  the  direction  in  which 
it  was  supposed  to  be,  Jimmy  at  once  interrupted  us  with, 
''That's  jist  it;  the  d — d  thing  is  behind  us;  and  how  the 
divil  did  it  git  there,  is  what  I  want  to  know." 

Sure  enough  the  river  was  flowing  between  us  and  Isletta, 
scarce  half  a  mile  distant,  as  calmly  and  quietly  as  though 
it  had  occupied  its  new  bed  for  the  past  hundred  years.  It 
was  with  difficulty  that  we  could  convince  ourselves  that 
such  was  really  the  fact,  so  silently  had  Nature  effected  this 
wonderful  change.  The  only  damage  done,  was  the  destruc 
tion  of  a  portion  of  Don  Jesus  Barela's  vineyard,  and  a  fine 
field  of  Indian  corn. 

The  banks  of  the  Rio  Grande  being  of  an  exceedingly 
friable  nature,  and  very  sandy,  offer  but  slight  resistance  to 
any  freak  the  river  may  take.  Sometimes  it  destroys 
whole  villages,  demolishing  corrals,  haciendas,  ranches,  in 
fact,  anything  that  happens  to  be  in  its  way  when  it  starts 
on  its  "bender," — now  covering  fields  of  rich  alluvial  soil 
with  sand  and  rubbish,  again  tearing  its  way  through  a 
forest  of  tall  cotton-woods  and  sycamores,  or,  selecting  a 
piece  of  low,  rich  bottom-land,  it  takes  from  one  man  only 
to  give  to  another. 


"DANGEROUS    TO  BE  SAFE." 


277 


Within  a  year  of  the  time  of  the  occurrence  just  mentioned, 
it  suddenly  started  around  Mesilla,  leaving  both  La  Mesilla 
and  Las  Cruces  on  the  same  bank,  while  before,  it  ran  between 
them,  making  them  rival  towns,  and  engendering  the  same 
bitter  feeling  that  is  experienced  in  Eastern  towns  simi- 


THE  RIO  GBANDE  AND  JIMMY  ON  A  BENDEB. 

larly  situated.     Thus  it  performs  the  office  of  peace-maker, 
while  it  takes  from  the  rich  and  gives  to  the  poor;   and  it 
certainly  verifies   the   old  paradox,  that  "it  is  sometimes 
dangerous  to  be  safe." 
In  the  case  cited,  we  learned  that   the  charge  had  long 


278  REASSURED. 

been  expected,  a  circumstance  that  robbed  it  of  much  of 
the  seeming  mystery,  and  permitted  us  to  attribute  to 
natural  causes  what  to  Jimmy's  excited  mind  still  seemed 
supernatural  to  a  wonderful  degree. 

We  crossed  the  old  river-bottom  as  easily  as  did  the  Chil 
dren  of  Israel  pass  through  the  waters  of  the  Red  Sea.  It 
was  a  long  while  though  before  Jimmy  recovered  from  the 
consternation  occasioned  by  his  discovery,  and  not  until  we 
were  far  on  our  road  towards  Laguna,  did  we  succeed  in 
convincing  him  that  it  was  not  ''the  divil's  own  wark," 
instead  of  a  long-expected  and  natural  change  in  the  course 
of  events. 


CHAPTER    XVIII. 


T  last  we  were  fairly  on  our  road  to  Laguna. 
Soon  after  leaving  the  Rio  Grande  we  fell  in 
with  an  old  Mexican  rancher -0,  who  was  going 
out  to  look  after  a  flock  of  some  four  thousand  sheep,  which 
were  feeding  on  the  range  in  the  valley  of  the  San  Juan, 
a  branch  of  the  Rio  Puerco.  We  found  him,  like  all 
Mexicans,  extremely  ignorant  of  everything  but  his  own 
immediate  business. 

For  about  ten  miles  our  road,  gradually  ascending,  lay 

(279) 


280  NEW  MEXICAN  SHEPHERDS. 

through  a  country  quite  destitute  of  vegetation,  and  present 
ing  altogether  a  most  barren  and  cheerless  aspect.  Sud 
denly  it  began  to  descend,  and  we  at  length  found  ourselves 
in  the  valley  proper  of  the  Rio  Puerco. 

This  valley  is  quite  extensive  and  very  flat,  and  is 
covered  with  a  species  of  coarse  grass,  valuable  for  sheep 
and  goats,  thousands  of  which  were  seen  grazing  on  every 
side.  Each  flock  was  accompanied  by  one  or  more  herds 
men —  wild,  gaunt,  half-naked  creatures,  whose  clothing 
consisted  of  a  sheep-skin  tied  about  their  loins,  and  whose 
only  weapon  of  defence  was  a  "sling"  similar  to  that  with 
which  David  of  old  slew  the  great  Goliath;  a  weapon  which 
they  use  with  great  dexterity  and  wonderful  effect.  Their 
feet  were  covered  with  sandals  of  rawhide,  and  their  bushy, 
matted  locks  gave  them  a  ferocious  aspect,  quite  at  variance 
with  their  general  character. 

These  herders  frequently  spend  months  with  their  flocks 
far  away  from  the  settlements,  with  only  their  sheep  and 
dogs  for  companions,  the  last-named  animals  being  nearly 
as  intelligent  as  their  masters.  I  have  seen  one  of  the 
latter  with  a  single  word  send  his  dog  among  a  flock  of 
several  thousand  in  pursuit  of  some  sheep  that  had  chanced 
to  stray  from  a  neighboring  flock,  and  invariably  the  quick 
witted  animal  would  single  out  the  intruder  in  an  almost 
incredibly  short  time.  Many  of  the  rancher os  intrust  their 
flocks  entirely  to  the  care  of  these  sagacious  creatures,  who 


SHEEP-RAISING. 


281 


daily  conduct  them  to  the   range,  and  as    faithfully  lead 
them  back  to  the  corral  at  night. 

The  soil  and  climate  of  New  Mexico  are  particularly 
adapted  to  sheep-raising,  and  since  the  Navajoe  Indians 
have  confined  their  depredations  to  the  more  southern  and 


NEW    MEXICAN    SHEPHERD. 


western   portions   of    the   Territory,    the   Rio   Puerco    has 
become  a  favorite  grazing  region  for  the  rancheros. 

To   give   a    slight   idea   of  the   depredations   committed 
by  the  Navajoes  on   the   settlers  in   New   Mexico,   I  sub 
join  the  following  table  of  estimates  from  the  report  made 
36 


282  NAVAJOE    THIEVES. 

by  the  United  States  Territorial  marshal,  for  the  year 
1850:- 

"Between  August  1st,  1846,  and  October  1st,  1850,  the 
Navajoes  stole  and  carried  away  from  the  settlers  in  the  Rio 
Grande  Valley  alone,  12,887  mules,  7,050  horses,  31,581 
head  of  horned  cattle,  453,293  sheep." 

In  fact,  the  thieving  operations  of  this  tribe  became  so 
extensive  that  the  government  sent  no  less  than  three  expe 
ditions  against  them,  the  sole  object  of  which  was  to  lay 
waste  and  destroy  their  fields  of  grain  and  immense  flocks 
and  herds,  as  starvation  seemed  the  only  way  of  effecting 
their  subjugation. 

For  eight  years  the  Navajoes  remained  masters  of  the 
situation,  until  at  last,  harassed  on  all  sides,  they  reluc 
tantly  yielded  to  the  superior  prowess  of  Uncle  Sam,  and 
accepted  the  overtures  made  by  the  government.  For  two 
years  a  general  peace  prevailed,  rendering  it  safe  for  both 
the  traveller  and  ranchero  to  sojourn  within  their  borders. 

On  our  arrival  at  the  Puerco  we  found  but  little  water, 
and  that,  of  an  extremely  poor  quality.  The  banks  of  the 
stream  near  our  camp  were  not  more  than  twelve  or  fifteen 
feet  high,  and  were  composed  of  sand  and  gravel  hills  with 
but  little  vegetation.  This  camp  was  at  best  a  dreary  one, 
and  the  long,  tedious  hours  were  enlivened  by  t'v.  stories 
of  Don  Kafael  concerning  the  extraordinary  qiuvtf-ity  of 
game  which  we  might  expect  to  encounter  during  oar  n\>>t 


JIMMY  HUNTS  A  DEER.  283 

day's  journey.  These  wonderful  narrations  made  such  a 
deep  impression  upon  Jimmy's  plastic  mind  that  he  at 
once  insisted  upon  putting  every  available  gun  and  pistol  in 
working  order  before  retiring  for  the  night.  Even  an  old 
double-barrelled  shot-gun,  which  we  always  carried  unloaded 
in  the  bottom  of  our  wagon,  was  speedily  made  ready  for 
active  "service." 

Nothing  disturbed  us  during  the  night,  save  the  quick, 
sharp  bark  of  an  occasional  coyote,  and  the  answering  yelp 
of  some  shepherd's  dog  from  the  distant  hills,  or  the  pecul 
iarly  mournful  note  of  the  whip-poor-will,  as  he  strove  to 
make  cheerful  the  oppressive  silence  of  the  vast  solitude 
around  us. 

We  broke  camp  on  the  following  day,  taking  up  our 
"line  of  march"  through  a  portion  of  country  more  or  less 
covered  with  pine  forests,  through  which  roamed  large  num 
bers  of  black-tailed  deer,  antelope,  and  rabbits,  while  the 
trees  seemed  fairly  alive  with  squirrels  of  every  variety. 

As  we  were  approaching  one  of  these  magnificent  forests, 
Jimmy,  who  had  been  riding  for  some  time  on  Don  Rafael's 
mule,  suddenly  declared  his  intention  of  "huntin'  daer  as  it 
was  dun  in  the  ould  counthry;"  whereupon  he  seized  his 
double-barrelled  gun,  and  putting  spurs  to  his  animal  was 
soon  -ost  to  sight. 

In  a  short  time  we  were  startled  by  a  loud  halloa,  and 
there  soon  emerged  from  the  dense  underbrush  a  fine  buck, 


284  HOW  HE  LOADED   HIS   GUN. 

of  the  black-tailed  species,  who  headed  directly  for  us, 
closely  followed  by  Jimmy,  who  was  wildly  urging  forward 
his  poor  bewildered  mule. 

«•  Dr.  Parker  immediately  took  aim  with  his  carbine,  and, 
as  good  luck  would  have  it,  brought  down  the  buck  at 
the  very  first  shot,  to  the  great  discomfiture  of  Jimmy,  who 
had  nearly  reached  the  scene  of  action.  At  this  juncture  a 
little  cloud  of  dust  arose,  and  for  a  time  both  mule  and  rider 
were  hidden  from  view.  As  it  cleared  away,  Jimmy  was 
discovered  some  distance  in  advance  of  his  animal,  which 
had  unfortunately  stepped  into  a  gopher-hole,  throwing  him 
into  mid-air  with  a  velocity  which  well  nigh  deprived  the 
poor  fellow  of  breath.  As  soon  as  he  had  collected  his 
scattered  senses,  he  began  a  vigorous  search  for  his  gun, 
which  he  at  length  succeeded  in  finding  far  from  the  place 
of  his  disaster. 

Upon  coming  up  with  Jimmy,  we  rallied  him  upon  the 
way  in  which  "they  killed  daer  in  ould  Ireland."  He 
finally  acknowledged  that  the  gun  had  missed  fire  twice 
before  the  deer  had  taken  to  the  plain  —  a  bit  of  informa 
tion  in  no  wise  surprising,  when  upon  examination  we 
found,  that  in  loading  his  piece,  he  had  carefully  placed  a 
bullet  at  the  bottom  of  each  barrel,  quite  forgetting  the 
powder  which  should  have  accompanied  it, —  an  omission 
which  Jimmy  explained,  by  boldly  and  unblushingly  declar 
ing  that  "the  powther  had  all  laked  out." 


A    WONDERFUL   STAlltCASE.  287 

is  undoubtedly  the  "Acuco"  mentioned  in  Corouado's 
report,  to  which  reference  is  made  in  a  former  chapter. 

Our  route  during  the  first  day  lay  through  a  wild  and 
desolate  region,  inhabited  only  by  coyotes,  black-tailed 
deer,  and  antelope.  About  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon 
we  came  in  sight  of  Acorna,  which  is  a  city  much  the  same 
in  appearance  as  Laguna.  It  stands  upon  the  top  of  a  rock, 
at  least  three  hundred  and  fifty  feet  above  the  surrounding 
plain,  and  seems  from  its  situation  to  be  almost  impreg 
nable.  This  pueblo  can  be  reached  only  by  means  of  a  stair 
case,  containing  three  hundred  and  seventy-five  steps,  cut  in 
the  solid  rock.  At  the  upper  end  of  this,  is  a  ladder  eighteen 
feet  long,  made  from  the  trunk  of  a  tree,  in  which  notches 
have  been  cut  for  the  feet.  Corn  and  other  cereals,  together 
with  peaches  and  apricots,  grow  near  the  foot  of  the  rock, 
their  thrifty  appearance  showing  a  degree  of  knowledge  in 
the  cultivation  of  the  soil  which  greatly  surprised  me. 
Here  also  we  found  cisterns  or  tanks  built  of  stone,  and 
thoroughly  cemented.  These  were  used  for  holding  rain 
water,  and  their  capacity  was  perfectly  immense. 

This  town  is  composed  chiefly  of  blocks,  containing  sixty 
or  seventy  houses  each,  generally  three  stories  in  height, 
and  built  after  the  same  style  as  those  of  Laguna.  The 
centre  of  the  town  has  a  plaza,  in  which  stands  a  once 
respectable  but  now  neglected  Catholic  church,  upon  whose 
walls  hang  several  very  fair  paintings.  The  people  seemed 


288  JIMMY  FALLS   IN  LOVE. 

to  be  industrious,  frugal,  and  happy,  although  they  bore  a 
very  bad  name  among  the  inhabitants  of  the  neighboring 
pueblos,  who  regard  them  as  little  better  than  robbers. 
We,  however,  found  them  kind  and  generous  as  well  as 
hospitable,  and  anxious  to  do  whatever  might  contribute 
to  our  comfort.  Many  of  their  women  would  riot  have 
been  uncomely  in  appearance  were  it  not  for  the  fact  that 
they  padded  their  legs  to  an  enormous  size,  thus  render 
ing  them  anything  but  attractive. 

We  spent  two  days  in  Acoma  and  its  immediate  vicin 
ity,  more  to  see  the  result  of  a  wooing  in  which  Jimmy 
was  interested,  than  for  the  purpose  of  resting;  although 
the  delay  gave  us  an  opportunity  of  ascertaining  something 
of  its  governmental  machinery. 

The  governor  is  chosen  from  among  the  old  men  by 
universal  suffrage,  the  only  qualification  necessary  for  the 
position  being  wisdom.  He  holds  his  office  during  life, 
and  presides  over  the  council,  which  is  composed  entirely 
of  old  men.  The  decision  of  this  official  is  regarded  as  law 
in  all  matters. 

Next  in  rank  is  a  war-captain,  who  arranges  all  compa 
nies  and  takes  charge  of  every  expedition.  He  also  exer 
cises  supreme  control  over  all  the  horses  belonging  to  the 
pueblo. 

Then  comes  the  treasurer,  or  fiscal  chief,  who  has  charge 
of  the  council-house,  church,  etc.,  and  who  superintends  all 


"  THE    GIRL   I  LEFT  BEHIND   ME."  289 

outlays  for  repairs,  and  exercises  a  supervisory  power  over 
all  expenditures  of  whatever  nature. 

The  government  of  A  coma  is  in  many  respects  similar  to 
that  of  all  the  pueblos,  and  is  universally  regarded  by 
those  most  deeply  interested  in  its  success  as  a  very 'benefi 
cent  one. 

After  we  had  made  all  preparations  for  leaving  Acoma, 
we  were  considerably  surprised  at  hearing  Jimmy  declare 
his  intention  of  remaining  behind,  "for  he  had  naarly  suc- 
caaded  in  conthractin'  a  mathrimonial  alliance  with  a 
daughther  of  one  of  the  cooncel,"  a  huge,  unwieldy  piece 
of  adipose  tissue,  whose  well-stuffed  legs  caused  her  to  roll 
about  in  walking,  with  a  motion  very  similar  to  a  ship 
in  the  trough  of  the  sea  during  a  severe  storm.  The 
promise  of  this  tawny,  unkempt  damsel's  hand,  together 
with  a  flock  of  sheep  and  some  cattle,  had  so  won  upon 
Jimmy's  susceptible  heart,  that  he  had  determined,  here 
to  set  up  his  earthly  tabernacle  for  the  remainder  of  his 
days.  We  remonstrated  with  the  enamored  wight;  we  told 
him  of  our  needs,  how  necessary  he  was  to  our  comfort  and 
well-being  in  general;  in  fine,  we  used  every  available  argu 
ment  against  his  wild  scheme,  and  at  last,  after  a  lengthy 
war  of  words,  he  reluctantly  relinquished  his  fond  dreams 
of  love  and  affluence,  and  consented  to  depart  with  us  in 
the  early  morning  for  Zuni;  for  daylight  found  us  far  on 
the  road  towards  ancient  Cibola. 
37 


CHAPTER   XIX. 


E  could  have  witnessed  no 
more  beautiful  or  enchant 
ing  sight  than  the  sunrise 
which  burst  upon  us  ere 
we  were  half  a  dozen  miles 
from  Acoma.  Before  us 
rose  the  peaks  of  the 
Sierra  Madre  one  above 
the  other,  each  of  an  en 
tirely  different  hue,  re 
minding  us  of  the  ladder  which  Jacob  of  old  saw  set  up 
between  the  earth  and  the  heaven,  or  of  some  vast  staircase 
constructed  by  the  Afreets,  to  enable  them  to  ascend  to  the 
very  gates  of  Paradise.  The  highest  of  these  rugged  peaks 
were  just  tinged  with  the  golden  beams  of  the  god  of  day, 
while  a  light  purple  mist  hugged  the  bosom  of  the  plain  so 
closely  that  we  seemed  to  be  journeying  through  a  perfectly 
motionless  sea,  whose  stillness  had  never  been  disturbed  by 

(290) 


BREAKFAST  IN  THE  DESERT.  291 

a  single  ripple  or  a  swelling  wave.  Occasionally  a  mass 
of  sandstone  or  a  huge  granite  boulder  could  be  seen  rising 
out  of  the  blue  haze,  sometimes  taking  the  shape  of  a 
graceful  turret,  or  again  assuming  the  proportions  of  a  cas 
tellated  fortress,  while  the  high  mesas,  molded  as  they 
had  been,  by  the  winds  and  storms  of  a  thousand  years, 
into  the  most  picturesque  and  fantastic  forms,  were  dimly 
seen,  crowned  with  curious  volcanic  and  basaltic  formations. 

The  heavy  vapor  which  enshrouded  all  things  was  at  last 
dissipated  by  the  full,  broad  rays  of  the  sun,  thereby  re 
vealing  in  all  its  naked,  barren  deformity  the  parched,  arid 
desert  which  we  were  crossing,  at  an  elevation  of  more  than 
six  thousand  feet  above  the  level  of  the  ocean.  Not  a 
sound  could  be  he.ird  in  this  vast  solitude,  save  the  foot 
steps  of  our  animals;  not  a  living  thing  met  our  gaze, 
save  an  occasional  antelope,  as  he  fleetly  bounded  away 
from  us,  or  a  prowling,  tawny-colored  coyote,  as  he  stopped 
at  a  safe  distance  to  examine  ''the  situation." 

Don  Rafael,  who  had  been  riding  ahead,  suddenly  halted, 
and  on  reaching  him,  he  informed  us  that  this  was  the 
very  place  of  places  for  breakfasting;  we  accordingly  dis 
mounted  and  refreshed  "the  inner  man,"  our  mules  mean 
while  cropping  the  sweet  though  scanty  herbage  which  grew 
around  us. 

After  resting  here  for  a  brief  time,  we  resumed  our  jour 
ney;  nor  did  we  pause  again  until  we  reached  a  small 


292  THE  STILLNESS   OF  SOLITUDE. 

rivulet,  which  our  guide  called  Agua  Frio,  or  cold  water, 
and  most  grateful  did  we  find  its  sparkling  coolness.  This 
little  stream  rises  in  a  bed  of  lava,  at  an  elevation  of  nearly 
seven  thousand  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  After  flow 
ing  through  this  rocky  bed  for  a  mile  or  two,  it  sinks 
entirely  from  sight. 

As  the  day  was  considerably  advanced,  our  guide  pro 
posed  that  we  should  tarry  here  for  the  night,  which  was 
swiftly  approaching.  In  a  sjiort  time  our  animals  were 
relieved  of  their  burdens,  supper  was  made  ready,  our 
blankets  spread,  and  our  pipes  lighted, —  everything  promis 
ing  a  good  night's  repose. 

The  moon,  which  was  at  its  full,  soon  arose;  and  as  I 
strolled  away  from  the  camp,  and  seated  myself  upon  a 
fragment  of  lava  at  some  distance,  I  could  but  acknowledge 
that  I  was  in  a  fair  way  to  gain  some  experience  of  the 
peculiar  influence  which  fair  Luna  is  said  to  exert  over  all 
who  gaze  upon  her  regal  beauty.  The  silence  was  oppres 
sive;  it  overwhelmed  me,  as  does  the  thought  of  the  Infi 
nite.  I  fancied  myself  shut  out  from  the  whole  world, 
wrapped  in  an  impenetrable  veil  of  mystery. 

Scarcely  a  breath  of  air  sighed  through  the  tall  spires  of 
grass  around  me.  Even  the  melancholy  chirp  of  the  cricket 
was  hushed;  the  cuckoo  and  the  plaintive  whip-poor-will  had 
forgotten  their  songs;  not  even  the  rustle  of  a  leaf  dis 
turbed  the  quiet  which  reigned  supreme.  Nature  seemed 


THE  BARK  OF  A    COYOTE.  293 

not  only  to  have  lost  her  voice,  but  to  have  plunged  into 
an  eternal  sleep,  from  which  there  was  no  awaking, — a 
slumber  at  once  so  painful  and  mysterious,  that  I  could 
have  easily  fancied  the  whole  world  dead,  and  I  alone  the 
only  living,  breathing  thing  left  upon  its  pulseless  surface. 
No  words  of  mine  can  give  an  adequate  idea  of  the  terrible 
agony  with  which  this  dread  silence  filled  me.  1  could  not 
speak  aloud;  I  felt  as  though  a  nightmare  was  oppressing 
me. 

For  more  than  an  hour  did  I  seem  thus  bound  hand  and 
foot;  nor  did  I  emerge  from  the  Lethean  waters  which 
seemed  to  have  overwhelmed  me,  until  the  quick,  snarling 
bark  of  a  coyote,  upon  some  far-off  mesa,  fell  upon  my 
ear.  With  a  thrilling  sense  of  freedom  and  relief,  such  as 
I  had  never  before  experienced,  I  hastily  sprang  to  my 
feet,  and  made  my  way  back  to  the  camp,  shouting  at  the 
top  of  my  voice. 

Upon  reaching  camp  I  found  that  my  shouts  had  aroused 
my  comrades,  who  were  greatly  exercised  as  to  the  cause 
of  the  disturbance.  Some  trivial  explanation  satisfied  their 
curiosity,  and  we  all  sought  our  blankets.  Dr.  Parker  soon 
fell  into  a  heavy  sleep;  but  "Nature's  sweet  restorer"  held 
persistently  aloof  from  my  lids,  and  I  lay  in  my  blankets 
gazing  at  the  moon.  Suddenly  I  was  startled  by  a  deep 
moan,  as  of  some  one  in  great  anguish.  Listening  intently, 
I  soon  became  convinced  that  the  sound  came  from  the  lips 


294  A   NEW  DISEASE   ON  THE  PLAINS. 

of  Jimmy,  who  lay  at  a  little  distance  from  Dr.  Parker 
and  myself.  Upon  speaking  to  him,  he  crawled  slowly  from 
his  blankets  and  came  towards  me,  his  face  presenting  the 
most  perfect  picture  of  abject  misery  that  I  had  ever  seen. 
I  was  considerably  surprised  at  this  new  and  inexplicable 
phase  of  Jimmy's  character,  as  the  reader  may  well  imagine. 

"What  is  the  matter,  Jimmy?  Are  you  sick?"  I  kindly 
asked. 

"Indade  an'  I  am,  juge,"  was  the  plaintive  reply. 

"Where  do  you  feel  sick,  Jimmy?"  I  inquired. 

"It's  here,  surr,"  he  said,  placing  his  brawny  hand  on  his 
heart;  "and  sick  I  am,  bedad,  at  losiu'  the  chance  I 
have." 

Even  after  this  explanation  I  failed  to  understand  the 
cause  of  Jimmy's  illness;  and  the  sight  of  two  big  drops 
slowly  stealing  down  the  poor  fellow's  weather-beaten  cheeks 
so  enlisted  my  sympathy  and  commiseration  that  I  aroused 
Dr.  Parker,  and  urged  him  to  immediate  action  in  Jimmy's 
behalf.  After  what  seemed  to  me  a  very  hasty  and  insuffi 
cient  examination,  he  declared  that  nothing  whatever  was 
the  matter  with  the  son  of  Erin,  and  coolly  turned  over  in 
his  blankets  and  composed  himself  to  sleep,  to  my  great 
disgust  at  his  want  of  feeling. 

After  plying  Jimmy  with  questions  for  some  time,  I 
became  convinced  that  he  was  suffering  from  an  acute 
attack  of  a  disease  very  common  in  the  East,  and  but 


JIMMY  REGRETS   LOST   OPPORTUNITIES.    295 

rarely  met  with  on  the  plains,  —  a  disease  popularly  known 
as  "love-sickness." 

"O,  SUIT!"  he  exclaimed,  in  faltering  accents;  "to  think 
what  an  illegant  chance  I've  lost  to  sitooate  misilf  for  life, 
—  wid  foine  flucks  and  hards,  and  a  be-u-tiful  wife  wid  legs 


JIMMY   IN   TROUBLE. 


as  big  as  a  wather-boocket:   it  makes  me  wape  intirely  wid 
thinkin'  ov  it." 

These  words  so  awakened  my  sense  of  the  ludicrous, 
that  it  was  with  the  greatest  difficulty  I  maintained 
my  gravity.  After  all,  the  "beautiful  wife"  was  but  a 


296      HE  FEELS  BETTER   IN   THE  MORNING. 

secondary  consideration,  and  his  sighs  and  moans  were 
wasted  on  the  "flesh-pots"  of  Acoma,  as  well  as  on  his 
dissipated  dreams  of  love. 

I  meted  out  to  Jimmy  what  crumbs  of  comfort  I  was 
able,  for  which  he  manifested  much  gratitude.  It  was  very 
late  when  we  "turned  in."  Jimmy  was  soon  lost  to  all  his 
troubles;  and  slumber,  which  had  kept  so  coyly  aloof,  soon 
visited  my  eyes. 

When  I  awoke  in  the  morning  the  sun  was  high  in 
the  heavens.  Don  Rafael  was  busily  collecting  the  mules, 
preparatory  to  setting  out  on  our  journey,  while  Jimmy,  who 
had  apparently  recovered  from  his  severe  indisposition,  was 
engaged  in  broiling  bacon  for  our  breakfast,  at  the  same  time 
merrily  whistling  a  few  bars  of  "Rory  O 'Moore."  Dr. 
Parker  was  sitting  in  his  blankets,  with  unkempt  hair  and 
unwashed  face,  plucking  gray  hairs  from  his  long,  flowing 
beard,  which,  truth  compels  me  to  avow,  were  neither  few, 
nor  far  between,  in  my  own.  As  I  turned  towards  him,  he 
slyly  remarked  that  Jimmy  seemed  in  excellent  spirits  after 
his  severe  attack  of  the  previous  evening,  at  the  same  time 
quietly  insinuating  that  both  he  and  myself  had  been  par 
taking  rather  too  freely  of  the  contents  of  a  certain  demi 
john,  which,  it  was  expressly  understood,  was  only  to  be 
uncorked  in  case  of  sickness,  —  an  insinuation  which  J 
treated  with  the  silent  scorn  it  deserved. 

Breakfast  well   over;    our  large  leathern  bottles  freshly 


THE   PACIFIC  SLOPE.  297 


filled  from  the  cool,  sparkling  waters  of  the  little  stream, 
and  firmly  lashed  under  the  wagon  ;  the  extra  mules  started 
under  the  guidance  of  Don  Rafael,  and  we  were  once  more 
on  our  "winding  way."  The  constantly  ascending  route 
gave  us  a  wide-spread  view  of  the  plain  across  which 
we  had  passed.  Orfc  of  the  most  interesting  features  of  the 
landscape  was  the  town  of  Acoma,  perched  high  on  its  cliff, 
like  the  eyrie  of  an  eagle,  though  we  could  scarcely  realize, 
from  the  distinctness  with  which  it  was  visible,  rendered 
thus  by  the  intensely  rarefied  condition  of  the  atmosphere, 
that  it  was  more  than  a  couple  of  miles  distant.  The  sight 
of  its  terraced  walls  seemingly  so  near  by,  brought  from 
Jimmy's  breast  a  sigh  that  sounded  like  the  wailing  of  the 
night  wind  through  a  forest  of  pines. 

We  reached  the  summit,  of  the  Sierra  Madre  range  at  about 
two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  when  the  vast  extent  of  country 
stretching  far  away  towards  the  mighty  Pacific  burst  upon 
our  view.  Mountains,  valleys,  and  plains  were  here  spread 
out  in  chaotic  confusion.  The  eye  lost  itself  in  immensity, 
so  boundless  was  the  view  which  confronted  us. 

We  paused  here  for  an  hour  or  more  to  give  our  animals 
rest,  and  then  started  for  the  Carizo  Springs,  which  were 
about  five  miles  distant.  We  were  now  descending  the 
western  slope  of  the  Sierra  Madre  range,  towards  the  Pacific. 

Thus  far  we  had  been  singularly  fortunate  during  our 
journey  ings,  for  we  had  not  encountered  a  single  hostile 
38 


298         TRACES    OF  A    WHITE  MAN'S   CAMP. 

Indian,  nor  even  a  wild  beast,  with  which  the  country  was 
said  to  abound.  Shall  we  be  similarly  favored  for  the 
remainder  of  our  travels?  Alas,  no!  for  we  were  destined 
soon  to  meet  both  of  these  much-dreaded  and  dangerous 
foes  of  civilization.  But  let  me  not  anticipate.  Evils  at 
best  come  fast  enough,  and  we  were  still  many  days  from 
the  longed-for  goal. 

Our  course  down  the  mountain-slope  was,  necessarily, 
slow  and  somewhat  difficult;  and  it  was  nearly  five  o'clock 
ere  we  reached  the  springs,  at  which  we  proposed  to  en 
camp  for  the  night. 

At  this  point  we  saw  indications  of  a  camp,  the  first  one 

we  had   found   since  leaving  the  Rio  Grande.     Don  Rafael 

immediately  pronounced   it  the   camp   of  white    men,  and 

also  inclined  to  the  opinion  that  women  were  of  the  party, 

-  an  assertion  which  we   received  with   much  incredulity, 

hough  it  afterwards  proved  to  be  true. 

The  spring  here  was  not  a  very  large  one,  but  its  waters 
vere  sweet  and  pleasant,  and  amply  sufficed  to  furnish 
ill  that  was  needful  for  our  own  use  and  that  of  our  ani- 
nals,  while  the  grass  in  the  vicinity  was  very  abundant, 
ind  of  an  excellent  quality. 

The  adventures  and  lessons  of  the  night  I  propose  to 
leave  for  another  chapter,  assuring  the  reader  that  if  he  has 
followed  us  with  interest  thus  far  in  our  travels  over  deserts 
and  mountains,  and  will  bear  us  company  still  farther,  as 


THE   ZUNI  COUNTRY.  299 

we  penetrate  into  the  wild  fastnesses  of  this  far  western 
country,  he  will  find  that  he  has  not  spent  his  time  wholly 
in  vain:  for  many  novel  and  wonderful  sights  await  us; 
many  strange  adventures,  which  may  perhaps  be  common 
enough  in  the  country  of  which  I  write,  yet  to  one  unfa 
miliar  with  the  exciting  and  adventurous  life  upon  the 
Mexican  frontier,  will  possess  no  little  interest,  while  at 
the  same  time  they  will  afford  the  inquiring  mind,  in  its 
search  after  a  correct  knowledge  of  this  most  wondeiful 
portion  of  our  marvellous  country,  an  exact  description  of 
the  Zuni  country  as  it  was  in  1860. 


CHAPTER    XX. 


UR  camp  at  the  Carizo  Springs  was 
destined  to  be  neither  an  agreeable 
nor  a  profitable  one,  as  the  reader 
will  readily  understand,  when  I 
relate  the  adventures  of  the  night. 
After  we  had  partaken  of  our 
supper,  and  had  seen  our  animals 
safely  picketed  where  they  could  obtain  good  grass,  we 
seated  ourselves  around  the  smouldering  camp-fire,  and, 
smoking  our  pipes,  enjoyed  the  calm  beauty  of  the  night. 
The  moonbeams  silvered  with  mellow  light  each  rugged 
rock,  each  overhanging  cliff,  each  bristling  yucca,  until 
it  required  no  great  stretch  of  the  imagination  tc  fancy 
that  we  were  really  standing  on  one  of  those  fabled  moun 
tains  of  silver,  the  expectation  of  finding  which  had  led 
the  bold  adventurers  of  the  fifteenth  century  into  such 
incredible  toils  and  hardships. 

I  retired   to  rest  at   an  early  hour,  and  was  soon  in  the 

(300s) 


MISTAKEN  IDENTITY.  SOi 

peaceful  ''world  of  dreams,"  from  which  I  was  suddenly 
awakened  by  feeling  a  hand  laid  upon  my  shoulder.  I 
sprang  to  my  feet,  revolver  in  hand;  but  the  bright  moon 
light  revealed  to  me  the  fact  that  it  was  no  one  but  Jim 
my,  who  in  whispered  tones  told  me  that  "she  was  a- 
callin'  him."  For  a  moment  I  fancied  that  Jimmy  had 
gone  mad,  when  to  my  surprise  a  low  wail,  like  that  of  a 
child  in  dire  distress,  fell  upon  my  ear,  apparently  so  near 
at  hand  that  I  was  at  once  startled  and  confounded. 

"D?ye  hear  it?"  exclaimed  Jimmy,  excitedly.  "The  poor 
crayther's  a  follerin'  me,  and  it's  lost  she  is,  intirely!" 

Once  more  that  plaintive  cry  fell  upon  my  listening  ear. 

"D'ye  hear  it?"  he  again  repeated.  "She's  a-cryin'  for 
me,  surr;  and  will  yez  not  be  afther  hilpin'  me  foind  her?" 

Just  at  this  moment  the  unmistakable  bray  of  a  mule  in 
extreme  terror  and  suffering  answered  the  cry ;  and  for  the 
first  time  I  now  realized  that  the  peculiar  moans  I  have 
described  proceeded,  not  from  Jimmy's  Acoma  charmer, 
but  from  a-  ferocious  panther. 

Immediately  arousing  Dr.  Parker  and  Don  Rafael,  we 
hurriedly  grasped  our  rifles,  and  listened  intently  for  the 
sound  to  be  repeated.  At  last  we  heard  a  low,  satisfied 
growl,  as  though  the  creature  which  had  uttered  it  was  con 
gratulating  himself  upon  an  unexpected  and  extraordinary 
piece  of  good  fortune. 

We  slowly  and  cautiously  started  in  the  direction  whence 


302 


ADVENTURE    WITH  A  PANTHER. 


the  sound  had  emanated.  After  proceeding  a  short  dis 
tance,  we  saw  Don  Rafael,  who  was  a  few  steps  in  advance, 
suddenly  halt,  and  heard  his  low,  muttered  "Carraho!" 
The  panther  had  attacked  and  killed  one  of  our  extra  mules, 
which  had  been  picketed  beyond  the  others,  and  was  greedily 


PAMIltMt    HUNT. 


devouring  such  portions  of  his  flesh  as  seemed  to  him  most 
palatable.  His  eyes,  resembling  coals  of  fire,  gleamed 
angrily  as  he  occasionally  raised  his  head,  lashing  his  sides 
with  his  long,  powerful  tail.  So  intent  was  the  animal  upon 
his  feast,  that  evidently  he  had  not  observed  our  approach. 


A   FATAI;   SHOT.  303 

Don  Rafael  hastily  signified  that  he  desired  me  to  fire 
with  him,  while  Dr.  Parker  and  Jimmy  should  reserve  their 
charges  until  the  result  of  our  "rifle-practice"  should  be 
come  known.  We  accordingly  raised  our  rifles,  and  taking 
good  aim,  fired.  An  angry  growl,  and  the  panther  was  con 
fronting  us,  scarcely  thirty  feet  away.  We  saw  him  crouch, 
ready  for  a  spring.  Dr.  Parker  now  raised  his  piece,  and 
aiming  directly  between  his  eyes,  hastily  fired.  One  con 
vulsive  spring  into  the  air,  a  single  yell  of  mingled  agony 
and  rage,  and  the  ferocious  beast  fell  dead.  Jimmy  imme 
diately  discharged  both  barrels  of  his  shot-gun,  sending  the 
entire  contents  into  the  carcass  of  the  defunct  mule. 

This  panther  was  a  most  magnificent  specimen  of  the 
American  leopard,  measuring  nine  feet  and  eleven  inches 
from  his  nose  to  the  tip  of  his  tail. 

The  next  morning  a  close  examination  revealed  the  fact 
that  neither  the  bullets  of  Don  Rafael  or  myself  had  touched 
a  vital  point,  but  that  Dr.  Parker  was  the  fortunate  man 
who  was  entitled  to  the  skin. 

Don  Rafael  carefully  removed  the  smooth,  glossy  cover 
ing  from  the  carcass,  and  we  took  it  with  us  to  Zuni,  where 
the  doctor  readily  found  an  Indian  who  nicely  tanned  it 
for  him;  and  for  years  he  exhibited  with  no  small  degree 
of  just  pride,  the  beautiful  skin  of  the  American  leopard, 
which  he  killed  upon  the  western  slope  of  the  Sierra  Madre 
Mountains. 


304  EL   MOHO. 

We  rallied  Jimmy  about  permitting  Don  Rafael  to  remove 
the  skin  from  his  Acoma  lady-love,  and  his  reply  was  quite 
worthy  of  the  man:  — 

"It's  only  turnin'  the  tables,  it  is;  for  if  I'd  married  her, 
she'd  a  taken  the  hide  off  me  intirely,  surr." 

It  was  so  late  before  we  were  ready  to  resume  our  jour 
ney,  that  we  decided  not  to  attempt  to  make  Zuni  until 
the  following  day;  but  to  drive  only  as  far  as  El  Moro 
Valley,  where  stands  the  celebrated  "Inscription  Rock," 
mentioned  in  a  preceding  chapter  of  'this  work. 

A  drive  of  a  few  hours  on  a  descending  grade  served  to 
bring  us  to  this  point.  We  found  a  most  delightful  camp 
ing-ground,  by  the  side  of  a  spring  of  water  which  bubbled 
up  from  beneath  the  very  corner  of  this  rock,  upon  which 
are  inscribed  some  of  the  most  important  events  in  the  his 
tory  of  this  wonderful  country. 

Reclining  upon  the  luxuriant  carpet  of  verdure  which 
Nature  had  spread  on  every  side,  watching  the  dying  rays 
of  the  sun  as  they  gilded  the  stately  towers  of  El  Moro,  we 
could  but  speculate  concerning  the  fate  of  those  gallant 
cavaliers,  who,  hundreds  of  years  before,  had  placed  their 
names  upon  the  smooth,  polished  surface  of  this  remark 
able  rock.  Who  could  recount  the  heroic  deeds  of  "Don 
Joseph  De  Bazemzalles,"  who  in  "1526,"  three  hundred 
and  forty-seven  years  ago,  inscribed  his  name  on  the  lower 
left-hand  corner  of  El  Moro?  Whence  came  he,  and  what 


RECORDS    OF   THE  PAST.  305 

was  his  fate?  And  what  was  the  name  of  him  who,  as  the 
record  says,  ' 'passed  by  the  place  with  dispatches  on  the 
16th  of  April,  1606"?  Who  could  tell  us  anything  con 
cerning  the  history  of  "Juan  Gonzales,"  who  in  t(1629" 
engraved  his  name  on  these  tables  of  stone  ?  Or  that  of  "Dr. 
Don  Martini  de  Cochea,  Bishop  of  Durango,  who,  on  the 
28th  day  of  September,  1736,  arrived  at  this  place?"  What 
was  his  mission  in  these  wilds  of  the  West?  For  how  many 
years  had  this  old  rock  thus  stood,  looking  calmly  down 
upon  the  beautiful  valley  with  its  ever-changing  scenes? 

But  there  was  no  one  to  answer  these  questions  and 
the  thousand  others  which  suggested  themselves  to  our 
minds  as  we  lay  beneath  the  black  shadows  of  El  Moro. 
If  the  old  rock  could  have  spoken,  what  marvellous  tales 
might  it  not  have  unfolded!  But  it  stood  grim  and  silent, 
vouchsafing  no  reply  —  a  very  Sphinx  of  the  desert. 

When  at  length  the  red  and  golden  tints  had  faded  from 
the  sky,  and  the  moon  and  stars  appeared  "in  the  infinite 
meadows  of  heaven,"  casting  a  pale,  ghastly  light  over  all 
things,  we  could  almost  fancy  we  beheld  the  gay  and  glit 
tering  cavalcade  of  "Don  Diego  de  Bargas,"  with  its 
richly  caparisoned  steeds  and  fluttering  pennons,  as  it 
"passed  by  in  1692  on  its  way  to  conquer  Santa  F6  for  the 
royal  crown,  at  their  own  cost."  Indeed,  we  could  almost 
see  the  stalwart,  well-knit  form  of  Don  Diego  himself,  as 
he  quaffed  a  goblet  of  water  from  the  spring  which  mur- 
39 


306  APACHES  IN  FORMER    YEARS. 

mured  so  melodiously  at  our  side.  And  with  him  rose  to 
view  the  bronzed,  war-worn  countenance  of  the  old  Indian 
fighter,  "Don  Felix  Martinez/'  who  "on  the  26th  day 
of  August,  1716,  passed  by  on  his  way  to  reduce  and 
punish  the  Apaches." 

Poor  old  Don  Felix!  Such  a  task  was  better  fitted  for 
a  Hercules,  than  a  cavalier  of  the  seventeenth  century. 
He  it  was  who  thus  described  the  Apaches:  — 

"They  are  most  cruel  to  those  who  chance  to  fall  into 
their  hands. '  They  go  entirely  naked,  and  make  their 
incursions  on  horses  of  great  swiftness.  A  skin  serves 
them  for  a  saddle.  They  begin  their  attacks  at  a  great 
distance,  with  loud  shouts,  in  order  to  strike  terror  to  the 
enemy.  They  do  not  naturally  possess  much  courage,  but 
depend  upon  artifice  rather  than  valor.  In  case  of  defeat 
they  submit  to  the  most  ignominious  terms,  but  keep  their 
treaties  only  as  long  as  suits  their  convenience.  His  Majesty 

has  ordered   that   if   they  desire  peace,  it  shall  be  granted 

• 

them;  but  this  generosity  they  think  proceeds  from  cow 
ardice.  Their  arms  are  the  common  bows  and  arrows  of  the 
country.  The  chief  object  of  their  incursions  is  plunder, 
especially  horses,  which  they  use  not  only  for  bearing 
burdens,  but  for  food,  the  flesh  of  which  they  esteem  as 
one  of  their  greatest  dainties." 

One  thing  is  certain  :  If  Don  Felix  failed  to  "reduce 
and  conquer"  these  Indians,  he  gained  a  thorough  knowl- 


INTERESTING  RUINS. 


307 


edge  of  their  nature, —  a  dearly-bought  knowledge,  it  may 
be,  for  who  can  tell  the  plight  in  which  the  warrior 
returned;  or  of  his  thinned  and  decimated  ranks;  or  of  the 
dead  and  wounded  left  behind? 

It  was  late  that  night  when  we  sought  our  blankets;  but 


FROM    INSCRIPTION    KOCK. 


deep  soon  visited  our  weary  eyes,  amply  repaying  us  for 
the  vexations  and  disturbances  of  the  night  before.  The 
sun  was  high  in  the  heavens  before  we  awoke  from  our 
heavy  slumbers,  and  went  forth  "to  pastures  new." 

A  short  distance   from  our  starting-point  we  came   upon 


308     EVIDENCES   OF  FORMER   CIVILIZATION. 

the  ruins  of  a  very  ancient  pueblo,  constructed  in  a  manner 
which  betokened  a  knowledge  and  skill  in  the  art  of  build 
ing  which  we  had  hardly  expected  to  find.  Some  of  the 
walls  were  still  standing  to  the  height  of  six  or  eight  feet, 
the  masonry  being  in  a  state  of  perfect  preservation.  The 
timbers  were  of  cedar,  and  had  the  appearance  of  having 
been  hacked  with  sharp  stones,  rather  than  cut  with  tools, 
a  peculiarity  belonging  to  all  of  the  timber  found  in  the 
ruins  in  this  country,  particularly  in  those  of  the  Casas 
Grandes  on  the  Gila.  Fragments  of  handsomely  painted 
pottery  and  arrow-heads  of  obsidian  are  said  to  have  been 
found  among  these  ruins. 

The  country  here  abounded  in  plants  of  the  rarest  and 
most  beautiful  varieties,  many  of  which  were  peculiar  to  this 
portion  alone. 

Passing  down  the  valley  of  El  Moro,  we  entered  that  of 
the  Rio  Pescado,  upon  whose  banks  stands  the  ancient 
pueblo  of  Zuni.  This  whole  valley  has  at  some  time  been 
cultivated  by  irrigation,  though  for  many  years  the  Zunis 
have  depended  wholly  upon  the  rains  that  fall  in  the  spring 
and  summer. 

In  this  vicinity  we  found  the  ruins  of  two  pueblos,  so 
ancient  that  this  people  knew  nothing  concerning  their 
origin  or  inhabitants.  Indeed,  this  whole  extent  of  country 
bears  upon  its  face  every  evidence  of  having  been  at  no 
very  remote  period  the  abode  of  an  immense  population  — 


TIMELY  CAUTION  TO  JIMMY.  309 

a  people  who  were  not  only  versed  in  manufactures  and 
agricultural  pursuits,  but  civilized  to  a  far  greater  degree 
than  are  the  inhabitants  of  the  valley  at  the  present  day. 

As  we  expected  soon  to  reach  the  city  of  Zuni,  I  took 
occasion  to  caution  Jimmy  against  attempting  to  form  any 
matrimonial  alliances  with  the  fair  daughters  of  Zuni,  asaur- 
ing  him,  upon  the  word  and  honor  of  a  traveller,  that  it  was 
the  custom  of  the  people  to  put  before  strangers  "the  fairest 
of  their  fair, "  for  the  purpose  of  inducing  them  to  remain 
in  the  pueblo  and  marry,  only  to  be  put  to  death  as  soon  as 
the  unfortunate  victim  who  should  have  listened  to  the  voice 
of  the  siren,  had  been  left  by  his  comrades  in  their  midst. 

In  support  of  the  truth  of  my  statement,  I  boldly  related  to 
Jimmy  the  old  Indian  legend,  that  the  Zuuis  are  indebted 
to  the  Welsh  for  their  light  hair,  blue  eyes,  and  clear  com 
plexion.  The  legend  runs  after  this  way:  — 

"A  company  of  Welsh  miners  having  accompanied  Prince 
Madoc  in  his  voyage  of  discovery  early  iu  the  twelfth  cen 
tury,  by  some  means  found  their  way  into  the  kingdom  of 
Cibola  with  their  women.  The  people  extended  to  them 
every  kindness  and  courtesy,  and  finally  induced  them  to 
take  up  their  abode  with  them  permanently.  After  a  brief 
residence  among  them,  the  Zunis  massacred  every  man  of 
the  party,  and  taking  their  women  to  wife,  had  finally  suc 
ceeded  in  producing  the  present  blue-eyed  race  of  Indians." 

I  also  referred  Jimmy  to  the  sad  fate  of  the  negro  Esteva, 


310  LEGEND   OF  THE  RIO  PESCADO. 

who  accompanied  good  old  Father  Marco  on   his  first  visit 
to  Cibola. 

To  be  sure  these  examples  were  rather  old,  yet  they  pro 
duced  the  desired  effect,  so  far  as  to  induce  Jimmy  to 
make  a  solemn  vow  that  "he  wouldn't  spake  to  a  faymale 
if  we  stayed  in  the  haythinish  place  a  month ;  nor  would  he 
permit  one  of  the  desateful  crathers  to  spake  to  him,  if  he 
had  to  run  frum  her,  bedad! "  This  vow,  it  is  hardly  neces 
sary  to  state,  he  failed  to  keep. 

In  the  waters  of  the  Rio  Pescado  (Fish  River),  there  is 
a  singular  fish  found,  somewhat  resembling  the  wall-eyed 
pike  of  the  Northwestern  lakes,  concerning  which  the  In 
dians  relate  the  following  story:  — 

"Two  Indians  were  returning  from  a  visit  to  the  sacred 
well  or  spring.  One  of  them  had  made  a  vow  that  he  would 
never  eat  any  meat  which  had  been  touched  by  water.  In 
passing  down  the  banks  of  the  stream,  they  saw  an  animal 
sitting  upon  the  branch  of  a  tree  which  overhung  it.  Being 
hungry  they  killed  it,  and  it  fell  from  the  tree  into  the 
stream.  After  securing  it,  however,  both  Indians  ate  of  the 
flesh  —  he  who  had  taken  the  vow  allowing  his  appetite  to 
overcome  his  conscientious  scruples.  Hunger  soon  gave 
way  to  thirst,  and  the  prevaricator  begged  his  companion 
to  bring  him  water  to  cool  his  swollen,  parched  throat. 
Experiencing  no  relief,  he  jumped  into  the  stream  and 
drank  his  fill,  after  which  he  suddenly  called  out,  'I 


RIDE    THROUGH  A  DESOLATE    VALLEY.     311 

cannot  see ;  come  and  look  at  me ! '  His  companion  rushed 
to  his  assistance,  when  he  saw  his  poor  friend  being 
rapidly  changed  into  a  fish.  Thus  had  the  Great  Spirit  of 
the  water  punished  the  perjurer,  as  he  is  said  to,  all  who 
break  an  oath  taken  at  the  Sacred  Spring." 

I  recounted  this  fable  to  Jimmy,  telling  him  that  we 
should  visit  this  spring  during  the  day,  where  he  would 
be  required  to  renew  his  vow.  To  my  great  amusement 
he  flatly  and  persistently  refused  to  have  anything  to  do 
"wid  the  divilish  wathcr." 

A  ride  of  a  couple  of  hours  through  the  valley  of  the 
Pescado,  and  we  merged  into  that  of  the  Rio  de  Zuni,  a 
valley  dreary  and  desolate  enough  to  dampen  the  ardor  of 
the  most  enthusiastic  searcher  for  knowledge;  and  yet, 
perhaps,  the  most  fertile  of  all  the  valleys  lying  west  of 
the  Rio  Grande. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 


HE  valley  of  the  Rio  de 
Zuni,  with  its  lofty  cliffs  of 
black  metamorphic  rock, 
—  some  of  which,  sepa 
rated  from  the  great  mass, 
rise  hi^h  in  air  like  the 

o 

huge  chimneys  of  a  vast 
manufacturing  establish 
ment, —  presents  a  most 
sombre  and  gloomy  ap 
pearance.  Notwithstanding  its  forbidding  aspect,  no  valley 
is  to  be  found  between  the  waters  of  the  Rio  Grande  and 
the  Pacific  coast  more  fertile,  or  with  climate  better  adapted 
for  purposes  of  agriculture,  than  is  this  in  which  is  found 
the  pueblo  of  Zuni. 

Here  for  the  first  time  we  caught  sight  of  the  town,  dis 
tant  about  four  miles,  situated  upon  an  eminence  near  the 
upper  end  of  the  valley,  and  which  really  presented,  as 

(312) 


THE  ZUNIS.  313 

Jimmy  expressed  it,  "a  strange  resimblince  to  the  moighty 
castles  ov  ould  Ireland." 

We  had  not  proceeded  far  in  the  direction  of  the  town 
before  we  discovered  some  of  the  inhabitants  driving  towards 
the  pueblo  a  number  of  buros  (small  jackasses),  laden 
with  wood,  or  with  panniers  filled  with  vegetables.  This 
wood  is  obtained  from  the  mountains;  nor  is  it  an  uncom 
mon  thing  to  bring  it  twelve  or  fourteen  miles  tied  upon  the 
backs  of  these  hardy  little  animals.  The  vegetables  are 
raised  in  large  quantities  in  the  fine  arable  land  with  which 
the  town  is  surrounded. 

Among  the  natives  we  here  met  was  one  who  could 
speak  a  little  broken  Spanish ;  and  from  him  we  gleaned 
some  information  of  himself  and  his  companions,  although 
the  difficulty  we  experienced  in  interpreting  his  jargon  so 
disgusted  Jimmy,  that,  quite  forgetful  of  the  enthusiasm 
which  so  recently  had  filled  his  soul  at  the  fancied  resem 
blance  to  his  "dear  ould  Ireland,"  he  exclaimed,  in  loud 
tones  of  contempt,  "Why  wouldn't  a  sinsible-lookin'  mon 
like  that,  be  spakin'  so  that  a  gintleman  wud  know  what  he 
wuz  talkin'  about,  instid  of  a  lingo  that  would  desave 
the  praste  himsilf?"  Dr.  Parker's  remark,  that  the  lan 
guage  seemed  full  as  Intelligible  to  him,  as  that  of  the 
Irish  tongue,  caused  Jimmy  to  turn  away,  muttering  any 
thing  but  complimentary  opinions  regarding  the  doctor's 
taste. 

40 


314  A   SHARP   TRADER. 

Notwithstanding  all  this,  we  learned  from  our  Zuni  friend 
that  the  fine  fields  of  waving  corn,  so  gracefully  nodding 
their  tall,  tasselled  heads  before  the  gentle  breeze  then 
sweeping  down  the  valley,  were  cultivated  entirely  with 
out  irrigation;  that  large  quantities  of  garden  vegetables 
were  also  raised;  that  melons,  pumpkins,  beans,  chilli, 
onions,  and  garlic  thrived  finely,  while  our  own  eyes  dis 
covered,  not  only  valuable  and  extensive  vineyards,  but 
magnificent  orchards  of  peach  and  apricot  trees  stretching 
far  away  in  the  distance.  Our  friend  furthermore  informed 
us  that  he  was  a  gardener,  and  would  be  most  happy  to 
supply  us  with  such  vegetables  as  we  might  need, — a  propo 
sition  that  we  at  once  accepted,  although  he  charged  the 
most  exorbitant  prices  for  everything  that  we  desired. 

We  soon  learned  to  leave  all  bargaining  to  Don  Rafael, 
whose  superior  knowledge  of  the  habits  and  customs  of  the 
people  rendered  him  peculiarly  fitted  for  the  office  of  major- 
domo,  in  which  position  he  was  immediately  installed,  much 
to  Jimmy's  chagrin  and  mortification,  who  regarded  the 
appointment  as  a  palpable  infringement  upon  the  rights 
connected  with  his  position  as  chief  cook  and  purvey or»in- 
ordinary. 

Driving  to  within  a  short  distance  of  the  town,  we  en 
camped  near  a  little  stream  of  clear,  cool  water,  that  mean 
dered  quietly  through  the  plain,  until  it  finally  lost  itself 
in  the  waters  of  the  Rio  de  Zuni,  a  mile  or  more  below 


A    VISIT  FROM  THE   CACIQUE. 


315 


us.  Scarcely  had  we  pitched  our  tent,  before  we  received 
a  visit  from  Don  Juan  Maria,  the  cacique  or  governor  of  the 
pueblo,  who  called  to  learn  the  object  and  purpose  of 
our  visit. 

\Ve    found   him   to  be   a  fine-looking  old  man,    dressed 


THR    CACIQUE. 


d  la  Zuni,  with  clear,  intelligent-looking  dark-blue  eyes,  and 
a  magnificent  head  of  iron-gray  hair.  The  old  man  seemed 
as  happy  and  simple  as  a  child;  and  when  we  informed 
him  that  we  had  no  purpose  in  our  journey  except  to  see 
Zuni  and  its  people,  his  wonder  seemed  to  be  unbounded, 


316  A   NOVEL  ABATTIS. 

» 

He  at  once  invited  us  to  visit  the  city  at  any  and  all  times, 
and  offered  to  show  us  any  objects  of  interest  that  existed 
in  its  vicinity,  an  invitation  that  we  at  once  accepted;  for 
by  so  doing,  we  had  an  opportunity  to  familiarize  ourselves 
with  the  character  and  habits  of  this  interesting  and  most 
remarkable  people. 

The  cacique  informed  us  that  "three  suns"  before,  a  party 
of  Americans,  with  four  wagons,  had  passed  down  the  valley 
to  the  westward,  and  that  women  were  among  them.  He 
cautioned  us  against  permitting  our  stock  to  wander  over 
the  plain  at  will,  as  many  deep  pits  had  been  dug,  as  a  pro 
tection  against  the  Navajoes,  who  were  in  the  habit  of  fre 
quently  raiding  upon  the  Zuni  stock. 

Under  his  guidance  we  at  once  commenced  an  examina 
tion  of  the  pits,  which  were  scattered  around  the  plain  in 
the  vicinity  of  the  four  trails  leading  into  the  town,  and  so 
located  that  they  testified  very  clearly  to  the  engineering 
skill  of  the  Zunis. 

The  pits  were  about  ten  feet  deep,  and  large  enough  to 
contain  a  mule  or  horse.  The  bottom  was  filled  with  sharp 
ened  sticks  set  upright  in  the  earth,  and  the  whole  artfully 
concealed  by  being  nicely  and  most  ingeniously  covered 
with  brush,  grass,  and  dirt,  in  such  a  manner  that  their 
existence  would  have  been  entirely  unsuspected  by  a  casual 
observer.  We  could  easily  understand  that  they  would 
prove  a  most  dangerous  and  effective  mode  of  destruction 


THE  PUEBLO.  317 

to  auy  body  of  cavalry,  as  well  as  greatly  impede  the  move 
ments  of  infantry. 

Upon  returning  from  our  visit  to  the  pits,  the  cacique 
rejoined  his  attendants,  who  had  been  most  patiently  await 
ing  his  coming  at  a  short  distance  from  our  camp;  and 
again  urging  us  to  visit  the  town  on  the  morrow,  he 
returned  to  the  pueblo. 

The  town  itself  is  much  larger  than  either  Laguna  or 
Acoma,  though  its  situation  is  not  so  favorable  for  defen 
sive  operations.  The  houses  are  of  stone,  well  constructed, 
and  covered  with  a  kind  of  stucco  made  of  mud  and  gravel. 
They  are  terraced  in  the  usual  manner,  some  of  them 
being  five  stories  high.  The  ascent  is  accomplished  by 
means  of  ladders,  as  there  are  neither  doors  nor  windows 
in  the  lower  stories. 

Many  of  these  people  have  light  hair  and  blue  eyes, 
and  it  is  extremely  difficult  to  convince  one's  self  that 
they  have  Indian  blood  in  their  veins.  Very  few  of  them 
are  familiar  with  the  Spanish  language,  aud  we  found  it 
exceedingly  difficult  to  communicate  intelligibly  with  them. 
'  In  this  connection,  Don  Rafael  proved  a  most  valuable 
assistant,  not  only  as  an  interpreter,  but  also  in  the  capac 
ity  of  major-domo;  for  we  found  the  Zunis  close  and  very 
sharp  traders,  although  it  was  rarely  that  Don  Rafael  did 
not  prove  their  equal  in  his  bargains  with  them.  A  sheep 
that  a  Zuni  would  unblushingly  ask  me  cinco  pesos  (five 


318  THE    WOMEN  OF  ZUNI. 

dollars)    for,  Don  Rafael  would   purchase  for  seventy -five 
cents;   and  all  other  articles  at  proportionately  low  prices. 

As  a  tribe,  the  Zunis  are  a  finely-formed  and  intelligent 
race.  They  wear  their  hair  knotted  behind,  and  bound  with 
gay  ribbons  or  braid.  In  front  it  is  cut  square  across,  so 
as  to  completely  cover  the  forehead, —  a  custom  common  to 
all  the  Pueblo  Indians  of  New  Mexico,  and  one  which 
easily  distinguishes  them  from  the  wild  Indians  who  law 
lessly  roam  through  the  country.  The  only  covering  that 
they  wear  upon  their  heads  is  a  handkerchief,  tied  like 
a  band  from  the  forehead  to  the  back  of  the  head;  this 
is  sometimes  decorated  with  feathers. 

The  Zunis  claim  to  have  inhabited  their  country  since 
the  world  was  made,  and  that  as  it  grew,  they  became 
separated  from  the  other  tribes,  and  have  ever  since  main 
tained  a  distinct  organization. 

Many  of  their  women  are  really  handsome, —  so  good- 
looking,  in  fact,  that  I  soon  began  to  fear  the  effect  their 
charms  might  produce  upon  the  too  susceptible  heart  of 
Jimmy;  and  had  I  not  placed  great  faith  in  the  fear  which 
my  stories  of  their  cruel  and  inhuman  treatment  towards 
their  prisoners  had  aroused  in  his  breast,  I  should  have 
felt  very  certain  that  negotiations  for  another  "matrimo 
nial  alliance"  would  have  been  immediately  commenced,  - 
negotiations  which  \\e  feared  might  result  in  a  most  disas 
trous  manner  to  our  present  plans.  Deeming  it  judicious 


EAGLES.  311) 

to  keep  an  eye  on  him,  I  requested  Don  Eafael  to  inform 
me  of  the  first  intimation  of  a  return  of  Jimmy's  weakness, 
for  I  was  determined  to  nip  it  in  the  bud. 

The  Zunis  have  a  regard,  amounting  almost  to  veneration, 
for  the  eagle,  which  they  catch  in  the  mountains  when 
young,  and  successfully  domesticate.  I  have  seen  as  many 
as  fifty  at  one  time  on  the  terraces,  basking  in  the  bright 
sunshine,  and  lazily  flapping  their  great  wings,  or  circling 
high  in  air  over  the  town,  and  uttering  their  shrill  cries. 
They  serve  the  purpose  of  scavengers,  keeping  the  alleys 
and  plaza  very  clean,  and  completely  ridding  the  town  of 
vermin  of  every  description. 

During  the  day  our  camp  was  visited  by  many  of  the 
people,  including  not  a  few  of  the  women,  to  whom  we 
made  presents  of  cheap  and  showy  jewelry,  which  we  had 
provided  ourselves  with,  before  leaving  Mesilla. 

In  less  than  an  hour  from  the  time  our  visitors  first 
came  into  camp,  I  detected  in  the  hands  of  one  of  them, 
a  bright,  fair-haired  maiden  of  some  thirty  summers,  a 
rosary  and  cross  that  I  had  frequently  seen  on  Jimmy's 
neck,  and  which  I  had  often  heard  him  say  he  valued 
more  than  all  others  of  his  earthly  possessions,  because  it 
had  been  "blissd  by  the  Pope."  Supposing  she  had  either 
found  or  stolen  it,  I  called  Jimmy's  attention  to  the  fact. 
His  reply  somewhat  disconcerted  me,  I  must  confess,  for 
he  said:  — 


320  JIMMY  MAKES   A  PRESENT. 

"Shure,  sur,  the  poor  craythur  axed  me  for  it,  and  I 
wouldn't  be  afther  refusin'  her  the  thriflin'  thing." 

"But,  Jimmy,  you  were  not  to  speak  to  a  female  while 
we  remained *here,"  I  ^aid. 

"Indade,  sur,  I  wouldn't  be  a  gintleman,  sure,  if  I 
didn't  answer  when  she  spake  to  me." 

Knowing  very  well  that  Jimmy  could  not  speak  a  word 
of  Spanish,  much  less  understand  the  Zuni  tongue,  I  asked 
him  what  she  said.  He  replied:  — 

"Indade,  sur,  when  a  lady  spakes  to  a  gintleman,  you 
wouldn't  have  him  bring  disrespict  upon  his  ashociates  by 
refusin'  to  answer  her,  would  yez?" 

"No,  Jimmy;  but  you  were  to  run  away  if  one  spoke 
to  you." 

"Shure,  sur,  I  didn't  know  ov  thim  pits,  thin." 

"But,  Jimmy,  you  don't  speak  Zuni.  Now  how  did 
you  know  that  she  asked  you  for  that  rosary?" 

"Indade,  sur,  but  'twas  the  eyes  that  wus  more  spakin' 
than  the  tungue." 

Nor  did  I  succeed  in  getting  any  further  satisfaction 
from  him. 

The  pueblo  contains  a  population  of  about  four  thousand 
souls,  and  in  the  plaza,  or  public  square,  is  situated  a  small 
Catholic  church  built  of  adobes,  and  containing,  among 
other  property,  a  really  meritorious  picture  of  "Our  Lady 
of  Guadaloupe,"  the  patron  saint  of  Mexico. 


THE  SACRED  SPRING.  321 

The  governor,  or  cacique,  who  is  also  the  chief  priest  of 
the  Zunis,  lives  in  a  large  four-story  house,  in  the  lower 
rooms  of  which  is  situated  the  council  chamber.  The  coun 
cil  consists  of  four  persons,  who  have  a  general  supervision 
over  all  public  matters.  The  office  is  hereditary,  the  son 
succeeding  the  father.  The  youngest  member  is,  ex  officio, 
the  war-chief;  the  next  younger,  the  chief  of  police, 
the  others  act  as  councillors  with  the  cacique. 

Not  quite  a  mile  south  of  the  pueblo  a  large  mesa  rises 
abruptly  from  the  plain,  at  least  a  thousand  feet  in  height. 
The  top  of  this  mesa  was  the  site  of  ancient  Zuni,  or  the 
former  city  of  Cibola,  the  ruins  of  which  are  still  plainly 
discernible. 

In  a  small  grotto  at  the  foot  of  this  elevation  is  the  "Sa 
cred  Spring"  before  referred  to.  It  is  about  ten  feet  in 
diameter,  and  walled  around  with  stones  neatly  laid.  The 
water  of  the  spring  is  remarkably  pure  and  clear,  but  neither 
man  nor  beast  is  ever  permitted  to  drink  of  it;  there  is  a 
tradition  to  the  effect  that  the  spirit  of  the  spriDg  avenges 
such  a  desecration  by  instant  death;  and  so  sacredly  is  this 
superstition  regarded,  that  I  do  not  believe  a  Zuni  could  be 
persuaded  to  drink  of  it,  even  if  perishing  with  thirst.  It  is 
held  sacred  to  those  animals  that  live  in  the  water,  such  as 
frogs,  snakes,  turtles,  and  lizards.  Once  in  each  year,  during 
the  month  of  August,  the  cacique,  accompanied  by  the  coun 
cil,  visits  the  spring  and  performs  certain  religious  rites,  the 
41 


322  SUPERSTITIONS. 

nature  of  which  I  could  not  clearly  ascertain.  With  their  own 
hands  they  thoroughly  clean  it  out,  and  afterwards,  with 
many  mysterious  ceremonies,  place  an  elegantly  ornamented 
(enaja,  or  water-jar,  —  which  has  been  previously  prepared 
by  the  hands  of  the  high  priest — inverted  upon  the  wnll 


THE    SACRED    SPRING    OF    ZUNI. 


surrounding  the  spring,  as  an  offering  to  the  spirit,  who  ia 
supposed  to  make  it  his  habitation  until  another  one  is  placed 
there  for  his  convenience.  Many  of  these  tenajas  remain 
on  the  wall,  while  the  ground  around  is  strewn  with  frag 
ments  of  those  that  have  crumbled  from  the  effects  of  age. 


JIMMY  TAKES  A  DRINK.  323 

The  cacique  told  me,  that  if  a  Zuni  should  make  a  vow 
at  the  spring,  and  fail  to  keep  it,  the  spirit  of  the  spring 
would  send  the  lightning  from  heaven  to  destroy  him. 
Thus  all  vows  made  at  the  spring  are  regarded  as  sacred, 
and  are  most  religiously  observed. 

During  the  time  that  the  cacique  and  his  council  are 
performing  the  sacred  rites  at  the  spring,  all  those  resi 
dents  of  the  pueblo  who  have  lost  friends  by  death  during 
the  preceding  year,  assemble  just  as  the  rising  sun  gilds 
the  top  of  the  lofty  mesa,  and  slowly  wend  their  way  in 
procession  to  its  summit,  there  to  spend  the  entire  day  in 
communication  with  the  spirits  of  the  departed,  who  are 
supposed  on  that  day  to  revisit  the  earth,  and  hold  sweet 
converse  with  their  friends  and  relatives,  who  carry  them 
offerings  of  flour,  corn,  and  bright  blossoms, —  a  custom 
not  dissimilar  to  that  of  "All  Souls'  Day,"  of  Catholic 
observance. 

No  Zuni  ever  approaches  the  spring  for  any  purpose, 
without  the  presence  of  the  cacique,  or  a  member  of  the 
council,  who  always  performs  an  incantation  before  ventur 
ing  near  it;  nor  is  a  guard  necessary,  such  is  the  veneration 
in  which  it  is  held. 

Being  aware  of  this  custom,  imagine  our  consternation  at 
seeing  Jimmy  deliberately  lie  down  upon  its  brink,  and 
quaffing  a  most  copious  draught  of  its  limpid  coolness, 
exclaim,  as  he  arose.  "Bedad.  but  that's  foine  watherl" 


324  CONSTERNATION. 

The  cacique,  who  had  accompanied  us  in  our  visit,  was 
apparently  horrified  at  this  wanton  desecration;  while  the 
doctor  and  myself  fairly  trembled  at  the  thought  of  the 
consequences  that  might  ensue  from  this  deliberate  disregard 
of  the  customs  and  usages  of  the  people. 

As  the  cacique  did  not  speak  to  us  of  Jimmy's  act,  we  did 
not  mention  it,  but  waited  for  a  more  favorable  opportunity 
to  reprimand  Jimmy  for  his  temerity. 

From  our  manner,  however,  Jimmy  became  convinced 
that  he  had  done  something  to  incur  our  displeasure ;  and 
making  an  excuse  that  "he  thaught  he'd  betther  be  afther 
retarnin'  to  tha  camp  for  tha  purpose  ov  protictin'  it  durin' 
our  absince,"  he  beat  a  hasty  retreat,  leaving  the  doctor  and 
myself  alone  with  the  cacique. 

Upon  our  return,  an  hour  or  more  afterwards,  we  found 
the  camp  deserted,  and  Jimmy  nowhere  to  be  seen.  After 
a  long  search,  with  the  aid  of  our  glasses  we  discovered  the 
missing  man  sitting  on  the  third-story  terrace  of  one  of  the 
houses  in  the  pueblo,  busily  engaged  in  sunning  himself, 
with  the  fair  recipient  of  his  rosary  and  cross,  in  company 
with  a  couple  of  tame  eagles,  and  apparently  quite  un 
conscious  that  he  had  in  any  manner  rendered  himself  liable 
to  the  penalty  incurred  by  those  who  offend  the  spirit  of  the 
spring. 

We  afterwards  ascertained  from  Don  Rafael,  that  Jimmy 
had  betaken  himself  to  this  eyrie  that  he  might  overlook 


JIMMY  APPEARS.  325 

the  trail  which  led  to  the  spring.  Unfortunately  for  him, 
we  had  returned  by  another  route;  and  Jimmy,  quite  un 
conscious  of  the  fact,  with  anxious  eyes  still  watched  for 
our  coming  until  long  after  the  shades  of  evening  had 
descended,  and  we  had  partaken  of  the  supper  which  Don 
Eafael  prepared  for  us. 

It  was  quite  late  when  Jimmy  was  seen  approaching  the 
camp  from  an  opposite  direction  to  the  pueblo;  and  his 
perturbation  of  mind  was  very  evident,  when  he  discovered 
the  doctor  and  myself  quietly  enjoying  our  otium  cum  dig 
with  our  pipes,  while  we  congratulated  ourselves  that  we 
had  at  last  "caught  him." 

As  he  approached,  consternation,  doubt,  and  Irish  cunning 
seemed  chasing  one  another  in  quick  succession  over  his 
features.  Not  a  word  was  spoken;  the  doctor  and  myself 
completely  ignoring  his  presence. 

At  last  Jimmy  mustered  sufficient  courage  to  say,  "Will 
I  be  afther  gittin'  some  supper  for  yez  gintlemin?" 

My  reply,  in  a  tone  of  the  utmost  astonishment,  "Why, 
Jimmy,  what  do  you  mean!  Don't  you  know  that  we  ate 
our  supper  more  than  two  hours  since?"  was  rather  too 
much  for  him,  for  he  at  once  commenced  to  apologize, 
saying:  — 

"Bedad,  sur,  I  jist  walked  out  for  a  wee  bit  ov  ixercise, 
an'  I  didn't  think  ye'd  be  here  so  soon,  sur." 

As  we  made  no  reply  to  this  piece  of  voluntary  informa- 


326  HE  IS   UNCONCERNED. 

tion,  he  left  us,  evidently  disconcerted  at  our  silence.  As 
he  passed  Don  Eafael,  we  saw  his  head  incline  to  one  side 
in  a  manner  that  seemed  to  indicate  a  desire  for  a  private 
interview. 

At  a  nod  from  Dr.  Parker,  Don  Kafael  arose  and  fol 
lowed  him,  soon  returning,  however,  and  informing  us  that 
Jimmy  was  very  anxious  to  learn  if  either  of  us  were  aware 
of  his  whereabouts  during  our  absence,  or  mistrusted  that 
he  had  visited  the  pueblo. 

As  he  obtained  no  information  from  Don  Kafael,  he  had 
apparently  satisfied  himself  that  we  were  ignorant  of  his 
visit;  for  he  went  whistling  about  the  camp,  busying  him 
self  with  some  trivial  occupation,  to  show  us  how  entirely 
unconcerned  he  was ;  and  at  the  same  time  by  his  manner 
endeavoring  to  convince  us  that  he  was  utterly  unconscious 
of  having  in  any  way  given  cause  for  displeasure. 

Dr.  Parker  and  myself  had  determined  to  say  nothing  to 
Jimmy,  but  for  a  time  to  allow  him  to  rest  in  his  fancied 
security,  well  satisfied  that  our  silence  would  soon  draw 
from  him  a  full  explanation  of  his  actions,  and  of  the  mo 
tives  that  had  prompted  them.  We  therefore  smoked  our 
pipes  as  we  lay  on  our  blankets,  enjoying  the  beautiful 
moonlight,  and  calmly  awaited  the  glimmer  of  the  spark 
that  was  to  fire  the  train  that  Would  spring  the  mine. 

It  made  its  appearance  much  sooner  than  I  expected, 
and  in  a  manner  that  neither  of  us  had  anticipated. 


A   SURPRISE.  321 

While  engaged  in  conversation  relative  to  the  peculiar 
manners  and  customs  of  the  Zunis,  the  doctor  remarked  that 
he  could  scarcely  believe  the  apparently  well-authenticated 
reports  of  the  inhumanity  and  cruelty  with  which  the  Zunis 
always  treated  their  captives;  and  that  he  was  almost  in- 
Lxined  to  doubt  the  truth  of  the  legend  he  had  heard  me 
relate  relative  to  the  miserable  fate  of  the  Welsh  miners, 
especially  after  having  been  with,  and  seen  the  people 
themselves. 

Of  course  I  stoutly  and  loudly  maintained  the  truth  of 
the  legend,  repeating  other  apparently  well-authenticated 
instances  of  their  diabolical  cruelty,  for  the  especial  benefit 
of  Jimmy,  who  was  lying  on  the  ground  a  short  distance 
off,  attentively  listening  to  our  conversation,  and  betray 
ing,  by  the  earnest  expression  on  his  face,  a  very  strong 
desire  to  ventilate  the  subject  from  his  own  stand-point, 
in  his  own  peculiar  manner. 

The  doctor  and  myself  argued  for  some  time,  pro  and 
co?i,  with  Don  Rafael  and  Jimmy  for  attentive  and  inter 
ested  listeners,  when  we  were  unexpectedly  interrupted 
by  a  howl  from  Jimmy  that  was  almost  enough  to  startle 
a  dead  man  from  his  grave,  and  could  have  been  heard 
at  least  a  half  mile. 

We  were  considerably  alarmed,  and  rushing  to  the  spot 
where  the  unhappy  youth  lay,  we  found  him  witli  both 
hands  grasping  the  leg  of  his  pants  with  a  grip  like  death, 


328  THE  DOCTOR  ANGRY. 

while  yell  after  yell  almost  deafened  us,  quite  preventing 
Dr.  Parker  from  obtaining  any  answer  to  his  oft-repeated 
inquiry  as  to  what  was  the  matter,  until  finally  the  doctor, 
becoming  thoroughly  exasperated,  gave  vent  to  a  volley  of 
oaths,  that,  in  their  vehemence  and  power,  completely 
silenced  the  unfortunate  victim  of  his  displeasure,  and 
gained  this  reply  to  the  question:  — 


CHAPTER   XXII. 


>HURE,  docther,  it's  quite 
kilt  I  am,"  said  Jimmy; 
"for  I've  a  rattlesnake  in 
my  trousers  leg."  And 
another  yell  announced  that 
Jimmy  again  imagined  he 
felt  the  venomous  serpent's 
teeth  inserted  in  his  flesh. 
An  announcement  like 
this,  did  not  fail  to  carry 

with  it  a  degree  of  terror  even  to  us,  who  had  escaped  the 
terrible  doom  that  seemed  to  have  overtaken  poor   Jimmy, 
who   loudly  asserted  that  he  "could  fael  the  ugly  crayther 
a-crawlin'  round  and  round  him,"  while  he  begged  in  pite 
ous  tones  for  us  to  "take  the  divil  away  from  him,"   a  task 
that  I  am  frank  to  admit,  I  was  far  from  willing  to  undertake. 
"Does  it  feel  cold  and  slimy?"  asked  the  doctor. 
"No,"  yelled  Jimmy;  "it's  hotther  then  fire;  hottherthan 
42  (329) 


330  JIMMY  ATTACKED  BY  ANTS. 

hill-fire  I"  And  another  howl  attested  the  truth  of  his 
assertion. 

After  this  exclamation,  the  doctor  ventured  an  examina 
tion  of  Jimmy's  condition,  and  discovered  that  in  lying 
down  he  had  carelessly  thrown  himself  upon  a  nest  of  small 
black  ants,  which  abound  in  that  country;  and  they,  to 
revenge  the  destruction  of  their  home,  had  formed  in  battle 
array,  organized  an  assaulting  party,  and  attacked  the 
enemy  with  such  energy  and  determination  as  to  com 
pletely  rout  him,  much  to  our  amusement  and  Jimmy's 
chagrin. 

"For,"  said  Jimmy,  "if  I'd  only  known  ov  that  it  wuz 
only  thim  little  divils,  divil  an  inch  would  I  a  moved  for 
'em,  and  I  only  regret  that  circumsthances  are  sich, —  " 

At  this  juncture  a  stray  member  of  the  attacking  party 
inflicted  a  gentle  reminder  upon  Jimmy's  body,  that  caused 
him  to  bound  at  least  four  feet  into  the  air,  with  a  howl 
that  would  have  done  credit  to  Barnum's  Royal  Bengal  tiger, 
while  he  exclaimed,  with  a  frightened  and  agonized  expres 
sion  on  his  face,  "There  they  are  agin!"  at  the  same  time 
executing  a  lively  and  complicated  double  shuffle,  accompa 
nied  by  most  frautic  gestures  with  his  arms  and  head;  nor 
did  this  performance  end  until  he  had  disappeared  in  the 
darkness,  going  at  a  rate  that  would  hare  distanced  any 
Navajoe  pony,  while  the  rest  of  us  were  so  convulsed  with 
laughter  that  no  effort  was  made  to  check  his  mad  career. 


ELOPEMENT  EXTRAORDINARY.  331 

'  It  was  fully  an  hour  before  Jimmy  returned  from  his 
evening  tramp,  looking  exceedingly  chagrined  and  chop- 
fallen  at  the  unfortunate  denouement  of  his  vaunted  valor. 
As  he  came  up  to  us,  I  remarked, — 

''Well,  Jimmy,  have  you  returned?  We  thought  you 
had.  probably  planned  and  were  executing  an  elopement, 
from  the  sudden  manner  in  which  you  disappeared  an  hour 
or  two  since." 

This  remark  drew  from  the  doctor  the  observation  that  it 
was  as  clear  a  case  of  intimidar  as  he  had  ever  seen. 

"And  what  does  that  mane?"  said  Jimmy. 

His  reply,  "A  badly-frightened  man,"  did  not  tend 
to  satisfy  him  in  the  least;  and  the  loud  laugh  with  which 
the  party  greeted  the  explanation,  seemed  to  rouse  Jimmy 
to  that  extent  that,  for  the  first  time  in  my  life,  I  saw  him 
quite  vexed;  and  he  remarked  that  "in  a  very  short  time 
he'd  be  able  to  eschape  from  all  the  unplisint  and  thrying 
sarcumstincis  wid  which  he  was  thin  surroundid." 

Upon  asking  him  what  he  meant  by  such  insinuations,  he 
promptly  and  exultingly  announced  his  approaching  nuptials. 
I  said  to  him:  — 

"Well,  Jimmy,  what's  the  fair  damsel's  name?" 

"It's  no  matther,  sur;   it's  no  matther  to  you,  sur." 

"But  it  is,  Jimmy,  a  matter  of  great  importance  to  me. 
What  is  her  name?" 


332  FORBIDDING    THE   BANS. 

"Shure,  sur,  I  couldn't  tell  you." 
"Yes,  you  can,  Jimmy;  don't  prevaricate." 
"Yis,    sir,"    said  Jimmy;    "that's   the   name,  I  think. 
And  it's  engaged  we've  bin  since  yisterday."     And  stretch 
ing  out  his  great  brown  hand,  on  the  little  finger  of  which 
I  recognized   one  of  the    identical  brass  rings  that  we  had 
distributed  among  the  women,  he  exclaimed, —  with  an  air 
that  seemed  to  say,  "This    settles  it," — "And  there's  my 
bethrothel  rhing,  the  plidge  of  me  affictions." 

Turning  to  him,  I  angrily  exclaimed,  "Now,  Jimmy,  I'll 
have  iio.more  of  this  nonsense!     There's  no  such  thing  as 
an  engagement.     Of  course  you  can't  marry  a  Zuni  woman, 
for  you've  drunk  from  the  Sacred  Spring." 
"What  the  divil  hez  that  got  to  do  wid  it?" 
"Only  this,  that  you  are  liable  to  be  taken  by  the  cacique, 
any  moment,  and  executed  for  the  crime   of  drinking  holy 
water;  besides,  Jimmy,   an  engagement  to  a  woman  whose 
name  you  don't  even  know,  is  simply  ridiculous." 

"Shure,  sir,  you  spoke  it  yoursilf."  And  the  big  tears 
fairly  chased  one  another  down  his  cheeks,  until,  taking  pity 
on  him,  I  told  him  to  go  to  bed,  and  that  we  would  finish 
the  conversation  another  time. 

After  he  had  left  us,  Dr.  Parker  and  myself  concluded 
that  it  would  be  best  for  us  to  see  the  cacique,  and  ascertain 
if  Jimmy's  visits  to  the  pueblo  could  not  be  prevented. 
With  this  object  in  view  we  started  for  the  town,  and 


HE  IS    TAKEN  PRISONER.  333 

were  fortunate  enough  to  obtain  an  interview  with  the  gov 
ernor,  when  matters  were  soon  arranged  to  our  entire  satis 
faction,  the  cacique  promising  to  have  Jimmy  arrested  and 
sent  into  camp,  whenever  he  should  find  him  in  town  unac 
companied  by  one  of  us. 


JIMMY  S   AEEEST. 


With  this  understanding  we  returned  to  camp,  and  sought 
our  blankets,  when  I  soon  fell  asleep;  nor  did  I  awake  until 
the  sun  was  at  least  two  hours  hiijh. 

o 

As  this  was  the  day  determined  upon  for  our  visit  to  old 
Zuni,  I  sprang  to  my  feet,  and  the  first  sight  that  met  my 


334  HIS  SPEEDY  RELEASE. 

gaze  was  Jimmy,  standing  a  short  distance  away,  firmly  held 
in  the  tight  grip  of  two  stalwart  Zunis,  who  were  patiently 
waiting  for  me  to  awake,  that  they  might  deliver  the  pris 
oner  into  my  charge. 

Upon  inquiry,  I  learned  that  Jimmy  had  been  arrested  just 
at  the  break  of  day,  as  he  was  entering  the  pueblo,  for  the 
old  cacique  had  given  his  orders  with  such  promptness,  that 
Jimmy,  who  had  absented  himself  so  quietly  that  we  should 
never  have  known  it,  had  been  fairly  caught  in  the  trap. 

At  a  signal  from  me,  the  Zunis  released  him,  and  I  bade 
him  go  and  prepare  breakfast,  while  I  rewarded  the  men 
so  liberally  that  I  felt  confident  that  Jimmy  would  hereafter 
stand  but  little  chance  of  evading  their  sharp  eyes,  should 
he  attempt  to  renew  his  visit. 

As  for  Jimmy,  he  showed  so  plainly  his  shame  and  mor 
tification  at  his  unsuccessful  attempt  to  disobey  orders,  that 
I  resolved  not  to  speak  of  his  unfortunate  escapade,  unless 
he  should  give  further  cause  for  complaint,  by  his  efforts 
to  seek  an  interview  with  the  Zuni  damsel. 

Breakfast  over,  Dr.  Parker  and  myself,  accompanied  by 
a  member  of  the  council  and  Don  Rafael,  left  camp  for  the 
purpose  of  paying  a  visit  to  old  Zuni. 

Following  the  same  trail,  and  going  through  the  same 
gorge  travelled  the  day  before,  we  passed  the  Sacred 
Spring,  and  commenced  our  ascent  along  a  steep  and  almost 
inaccessible  path  that  led  to  the  heights. 


AN  ELEVATED  POSITION.  335 

At  the  height  of  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet,  we 
came  upon  a  broad  ledge  of  rock,  around  the  edge  of  which 
the  ruins  of  an  old  stone  wall  were  plainly  discernible. 

This  wall  seemed  to  have  been  used  by  the  Zunis,  not 
only  as  a  protection  from  an  attacking  party,  but  also  as 
a  formidable  engine  of  destruction;  for  by  rolling  portions 
of  it  down  the  steep  and  precipitous  bluff,  it  could  not  fail 
to  carry  death  and  destruction  in  its  path  to  the  plain  below. 

We  discovered  no  less  than  three  of  these  ledges  in  the 
course  of  our  ascent,  all  bearing  evidence  of  having,  many 
years  previous,  been  similarly  fortified;  the  stones,  without 

doubt,  having  been  used  to  repel  attacks. 

« 

After  two  hours  of  toil  and  perilous  ascent,  we  reached 
the  top  of  the  mesa,  nearly  twelve  hundred  feet  above  the 
level  of  the  plain  beneath. 

Once  fairly  on  the  plateau,  what  a  glorious  sight  burst 
upon  our  view ! 

To  the  northeast,  and  stretching  far,  far  towards  the  south, 
lay  the  magnificent  range  of  the  Sierra  Madre  which  we  had 
so  recently  crossed,  its  regularly  graduated  peaks,  seeming 
to  rise  one  above  the  other,  reaching  from  the  earth  to  the 
very  heavens,  until  we  finally  lost  sight  of  them  in  the  fleecy 
clouds  that  drifted  athwart  the  morning  sky. 

Far  away  to  the  southwest  rose  the  symmetrical  peaks  of 
the  Mogollon  range,  the  dark-green  verdure  of  their  sides 
contrasting  most  beautifully  with  their  snow-capped  sum- 


336  THE   SITE    OF  OLD   ZUNL 

mits,  that  sparkled  and  glistened  in  the  sunshine  like  great 
white  crystals. 

Farther  to  the  westward,  the  San  Francisco  peak  stood 
like  a  mighty  giant  vigilantly  guarding  the  priceless  treas 
ures  concealed  within  its  bosom;  while  its  aerial  summit, 
like  a  great  white  plume,  seemed  gracefully  suspended  in 
the  blue  ether  of  heaven's  bright  dome,  and  offering  a  most 
grateful  relief  to  the  eye  while  tracing  the  enormous 
ravines,  steep  mesas,  deep  canons,  volcanic  peaks,  arid 
deserts,  and  overthrown  rocks  of  the  vast  country  lying  to 
the  westward,  and  stretching  into  such  boundless  immen 
sity  of  space  that  one  utterly  failed  to  comprehend  its 
magnitude,  while  it  required  but  little  stretch  of  the 
imagination  to  fancy  that  beneath  the  far-distant  horizon 
could  be  seen  the  bright,  sparkling  waters  of  the  blue 
Pacific,  as  they  gently  kissed  its  sandy  beach  a  thousand 
miles  away. 

Oceasionally  a  lovely  green  valley  could  be  seen  peeping 
out  from  its  yellowish-gray  surroundings,  like  a  beautiful 
emerald  in  a  setting  of  topaz,  or  resembling  an  oasis  in  the 

9 

white,  sparkling  sand  of  the  desert. 

Seemingly  at  our  very  feet  lay  the  pueblo  of  Zuni,  quietly 
dozing  in  its  quaint,  strange  solitude,  its  dark-brown 
walls  completely  encircled  by  the  sombre  foliage  of  its  mag 
nificent  peach  orchards;  while  the  river,  looking  like  a 
thread  of  silver,  wound  around  through  the  valley,  here 


IK!  "•."•' 


,  \  m 


THE  MONUMENTS.  337 

flowing  peacefully  through  green  meadows,  now  concealed 
from  our  view  by  the  rugged  and  black  walls  of  a  canon ; 
again  losing  itself  in  the  waving  corn-fields,  or  hiding 
beneath  the  golden-tinted  branches  of  the  apricot  trees,  to 
finally  disappear  in  a  deep  gorge,  dashing  over  its  rocky 
bed,  until  its  white  foam  was  lost  to  our  view  in  the  great 
mass  of  lava  that  stretched  far  away  to  the  southeast. 

It  was  s  me  time  after  we  reached  the  summit  of  the  mesa 
before  we  could  bring  our  minds  to  the  examination  and 
contemplation  of  the  objects  more  immediately  around  us, 
so  completely  were  we  lost  in  admiration  at  the  sight 
of  the  wonderful  and  magnificent  picture,  painted  by  the 
hand  of  the  great  Creator,  that  had  thus  suddenly  and  unex 
pectedly  been  revealed  to  our  view. 

A  comprehensive  survey  of  our  surroundings  discovered 
the  fact  that  we  were  upon  a  level  plateau  comprising 
many  acres,  upon  which  was  standing  a  magnificent  grove 
of  cedars,  surrounded  by  crumbling  walls,  evidently  of 
great  antiquity,  some  portions  of  them  eight  and  ten  feet 
in  height,  while  in  other  places  but  a  few  inches  were  to  be 
discerned  peeping  out  from  the  luxuriant  vegetation,  that 
seemed  striving  to  conceal  from  human  ken  all  vestige  of 
the  ancient  ruins  with  which  the  top  of  the  lofty  summit  was 
covered. 

Towering  high  upon  the  side  of  this  mighty  mesa,  two  sin 
gularly-formed  columns  of  sandstone  rose  almost  to  the  level 
43 


LEGEND    OF   THE   DELUGE. 

of  the  plateau  on  which  we  stood,  each  covered  with  what,  at 
first  sight,  appeared  to  be  human  figures,  of  colossal  size. 

Of  these  remarkable  formations  our  guide  gave  us  the 
following  history,  which  I  shall  here  relate,  hoping  that  it 
may  prove  as  interesting  to  the  reader  as  it  did  to  us. 

4  *  Ages  before  the  first  appearance  of  the  white  man,  a 
dreadful  flood  visited  the  earth.  Water  fell  from  the 
heavens,  gushed  forth  from  the  earth,  and  rolled  in  from 
the  east  and  from  the  west,  until  the  whole  earth  was  sub 
merged,  destroying  not  only  man  and  beast,  but  the  wild 
Apache  and  the  tawny  coyote  as  well. 

''Many  of  the  people  of  Zuni  rushed  to  the  top  of  this 
lofty  mesa;  but  by  far  the  greater  part,  being  unable  to 
reach  it,  miserably  perished  in  the  surging  waters. 

"In  the  midst  of  all  this  terrible  flood,  darkness  came 
upon  the  earth.  The  sun  forgot  to  rise,  and  gloom  and 
desolation  reigned  supreme. 

"Still  the  waters  rose  higher  and  higher,  the  Great  Spirit 
thus  showing  himself  to  be  exceedingly  wroth  with  his 
children,  who  must  offer  him  a  fitting  sacrifice,  in  order  to 
appease  his  anger,  and  induce  him  to  abate  the  flood  that  he 
ha  I  so  suddenly  and  disastrously  visited  upon  them. 

"After  much  hesitation,  and  many  forebodings  of  evil, 
they  at  last  determined  to  offer  the  only  son  and  daughter 
of  their  cacique,  the  most  beautiful  youth  and  maiden  in  the 
tribe,  as  a  propitiatory  sacrifice. 


FOUNDATION  OF  ZUNI.  339 

"Binding  their  victims  hand  and  foot,  they  carried  them 
to  the  edge  of  the  bluff,  and  hurled  them  into  the  seething 
waters  below. 

"In  a  short  time  the  flood  was  assuaged,  having  reached 
the  line,  at  this  day  distinctly  visible,  about  thirty  feet 
below  the  top  of  the  mesa. 

"The  small  remnant  of  the  people  of  Zuui,  who  had  sought 
and  found  a  refuge  on  the  summit  of  the  mesa,  were  thus 
saved;  and  they  here  built  the  town,  the  ruins  of  which 
were  around  us,  and  erected  the  two  monuments  before 
spoken  of,  to  mark  the  spot  where  the  beautiful  victims 
were  made  an  offering  to  appease  the  wrath  of  the  Great 
Spirit,  that  the  remembrance  of  this  terrible  catastrophe 
might  be  perpetuated  to  the  end  of  all  time." 

These  pillars,  although  bearing  a  very  strange  and  most 
remarkable  resemblance  to  human  figures,  are,  without 
doubt,  the  work  of  Nature;  yet  they  are  greatly  venerated 
by  every  Zuni. 

We  now  started  to  visit  the  cedar  grove,  some  little  dis 
tance  from  the  spot  where  we  had  been  standing. 

As  we  drew  near  the  place  that  contains  the  sacred  altars 
where  many  of  the  religious  rites  and  ceremonies  of  the 
Zimis  are  celebrated,  a  singular  appearance  of  mingled 
veneration  and  fear  came  over  the  countenance  of  the  old 
councillor  who  accompanied  us;  and  as  he  approached  the 
spot  with  hesitating  footsteps,  he  took  from  a  small  bag,  that 


340 


INCANTATION  SCENE. 


hung  suspended  from  his  neck,  a  quantity  of  white  powder, 
and  placing  it  upon  a  small  silver  plate  which  he  took  from 
his  girdle,  he  turned  his  face  towards  the  south,  holding  a 
small  portion  of  the  powder  between  his  thumb  and  fore 
finger;  and,  while  muttering  some  mysterious  words  of 


ZTJNI   ALTARS   AND   INCANTATION   SCENE. 


incantation,  gently  blew  it  into  the  air,  after  which  we  were 
permitted  to  enter  the  sacred  precincts  of  the  grove. 

We  were  afterwards  informed  that  the  scene  we  had 
witnessed  was  a  most  solemn  invocation  to  the  spirit  of 
Montezuma  that  he  misfht  shDrtly  'ultil  th3  promise  mad.1-  to 


ZUNI  ALTARS.  341 

his  people,  to  once  more  return  and  lead  them;  that  the 
powder  used  was  obtained  in  some  mysterious  manner, 
known  only  to  the  high-priest;  and  that  the  offering  thus 
made  so  pleased  the  Great  Spirit,  that  he  always  gladdened 
the  earth  with  rain,  and  then  blessed  them  with  bountiful 
crops. 

We  found  many  of  these  altars  in  the  grove.  They  were 
generally  oval  in  form,  between  two  and  three  yards  long, 
quite  low,  and  the  head,  which  was  designated  by  a  feathered 
arrow  and  a  kind  of  net-work  screen,  always  stood  facing 
the  south,  towards  which  point  of  compass  Montezuma  was 
supposed  to  have  gone  when  he  left  his  children  of  the 
pueblos. 

The  foot  of  the  altars  was  indicated  by  a  cedar  board,  or 
stake,  standing  about  three  feet  above  the  ground,  while  in 
the  centre  of  the  altar  lay  a  small  piece  of  cedar,  elaborately 
carved. 

The  outside  of  each  one  of  the  altars  was  marked  by  a  row 
of  shells,  or  rare  stones,  or  by  arrows  beautifully  feathered 
and  painted.  Many  of  the  altars  were  very  ancient,  having 
probably  existed  hundreds  of  years. 

Under  no  circumstances  is  a  stranger  permitted  to  touch 
one  of  them,  or  even  to  visit  them,  unless  accompanied  by 
a  proper  escort.  I  very  much  regretted  that  it  was  impos 
sible  for  us  to  more  definitely  ascertain  the  nature  of  the 
peculiar  rites  and  ceremonies  performed  here.  We  only 


342          RELIGIOUS  BELIEF  OF   THE   ZUNIS. 

learned  that  they  were  entirely  of  a  religious  character,  and 
that  one  of  them  was  supposed  to  be  instrumental  in  averting 
dire  calamity,  like  that  which  befell  the  people  in  1852, 
when  nearly  half  the  entire  population  perished  from  the 
ravages  of  the  small -pox. 

The   people   of  Zuni   cling  most   devotedly  to   the  old 
customs  and  traditions,  as  well  as  to  the  religious  rites  of 


TENAJA  TAKEN  FROM  THE  RUINS  OP  OLD  ZUNI. 

their  ancestors,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  they  permit  a 
Catholic  church  to  exist  among  them. 

Indeed,  they  attributed  by  far  the  greater  portion  of  all 
their  temporal  prosperity ,  and  the  immunity  of  their  country 
from  severe  droughts,  to  these  observances;  consequently, 
there  are  but  few  apostates  among  the  Zunis. 

They  firmly  believe  in  one  Great  Spirit,  and  that  Monte- 
zuma  is  his  son,  who,  at  some  future  time,  will  come  and 
lead  them,  as  he  has  most  faithfully  promised. 


EXTENT  OF  THE  RUINS.  343 

The  ruins  which  surrounded  us  consisted  for  the  most 
part  of  stone  walls,  covered,  in  places,  with  a  kind  of  stucco 
made  of  mud.  They  extended  over  an  area  of  about  thirty 
acres,  and  showed  traces  of  great  beauty  in  their  architec 
tural  strength  and  design.  Of  their  great  antiquity,  there 
can  be  no  doubt. 

Many  remnants  of  painted  pottery  have  been  discovered, 
some  being  quite  similar  to  those  found  upon  the  Gila.  The 
accompanying  cuts  show  the  general  form  of  the  vessels. 


DRINKING   VESSEL   FROM   OLD   ZUNI. 


The  earthen  spoon,  a  cut  of  which  is  also  given,  was  dug 
out  from  beneath  a  pile  of  broken  pottery  found  in  these 
ruins.  Many  arrow-heads  of  obsidian  have  also  been  found 
here. 

Our  guide  proved  a  most  intelligent  and  well-informed 
man,  speaking  the  Spanish  language  with  sufficient  fluency 
to  give  us  much  valuable  information  concerning  the  customs 
and  traditions  of  his  tribe. 

While  reclining  beneath  the  shade  of  the  whispering 
cedars,  he  gave  an  account  of  the  Zuni  belief  of  the  creation, 
which  I  found  so  interesting  that  I  purpose  to  give  it  in  the 


344  FAITH. 

succeeding  chapter,  hoping  it  may  prove  as  entertaining  to 
the  reader  as  it  did  to  me  —  listening  to  it,  within  sight  of  the 
sacred  altars,  and  upon  ground  consecrated  by  the  ancestors 
of  the  man  who  related  it,  with  an  earnestness  and  solemnity 
that  did  not  fail  to  inspire  us  with  a  deep  sense  of  the 
abiding  faith  that  the  narrator  placed  in  its  authenticity. 


EAKTHEN  SPOON  FROM  OLD  ZUNI. 


Should  the  reader  be  tempted  to  smile  at  this  somewhat 
amusing  history  of  the  creation  of  the  sun  and  moon,  and  of 
the  manner  of  embroidering  the  s*tars  in  the  firmament,  let 
him  remember  that  our  own  religious  belief  is  a  simple  ques 
tion  of  faith,  and  that  the  creed  of  the  Zuni  is  as  dear  to 
him  as  is  the  Biblical  account  sacred  to  Christian  people. 


CHAPTER    XXIII. 

|N  the  beginning,  the  Zunis, 
the  Navajoes,  the  Pueblos, 
and  the  Americans,  all 
lived  peacefully  together 
in  a  hollow  portion  of  the 
San  Francisco  Mountain. 
Here  they  subsisted  upon 
meat  alone,  for  the  Great 
Spirit  had  beneficently 
given  them  all  the  beasts 
of  the  plain  and  the  birds  of  the  air  to  do  with  as  seemed 
best  while  they  should  be  confined  in  the  cave. 

The  walls  of  the  cave  were  of  solid  silver,  and  reflected 
the  light  in  such  a  faint  and  mysterious  manner,  that  a  sort 
of  dim  twilight  prevailed  a  certain  portion  of  the  time,  which 
answered  for  their  day.  Among  the  Zunis  living  in  the 
cave  was  a  blind  old  man,  whose  sense  of  hearing  was  so 
wonderfully  acute,  that  one  day,  as  a  huge  eagle  was  flap- 
44  (345) 


346  LEGEND   OF   THE   CREATION. 

ping  its  great  wings,  he  accidentally  struck  the  top  of  the 
cave  with  one  of  them,  which  attracted  the  attention  of  the 
blind  man,  who  fancied  it  gave  forth  a  hollow  sound. 

Perplexed  and  wondering  at  the  phenomenon,  he  men 
tioned  it  to  one  of  the  old  men  near  by,  and  the  two  con 
ceived  the  idea  of  discovering,  if  possible,  the  cause  of  this 
singular  sound. 

After  much  hesitation  and  many  surmises,  they  called  to 
their  aid  a  woodpecker,  and  sending  him  up  to  the  spot,  he 
attempted  to  force  a  hole  into  the  wall  with  his  bill,  but  it 
so  effectually  resisted  his  efforts  that  he  finally  decided  that 
it  was  an  impossible  thing  to  accomplish,  so  returned  to 
those  who  had  dispatched  him  on  the  errand. 

Not  despairing  of  ultimate  success,  however,  the  two  men 
prevailed  upon  the  eagle  to  try  his  strength.  He  flew  to 
the  top  of  the  wall,  and  striking  a  tremendous  blow  with  his 
strong  beak,  succeeded  in  cracking  it,  so  that  a  moth  worm, 
on  being  sent  up,  after  much  difficulty  forced  an  entrance 
through  the  opening  thus  created. 

Upon  emerging  from  the  crevice,  he  found  himself  upon 
the  outside  of  the  cave,  and  completely  surrounded  by  water; 
so  he  immediately  threw  up  a  little  mound  of  earth,  and  sat 
down  upon  it,  to  consider  his  situation,  and  ascertain  what 
was  before  him. 

As  soon  as  his  eyes  became  accustomed  to  the  gloom 
which  prevailed  over  all  things,  he  saw  four  great  white 


THE  FOUR    WHITE  SWANS.  347 

swans,  stationed  at  each  of  the  cardinal  points,  and 
carrying  an  arrow  under  each  wing. 

The  swan  from  the  North,  upon  observing  the  worm, 
immediately  came  towards  it,  and,  thrusting  one  of  the 
arrows  through  its  body,  quickly  withdrew  it.  After 
examining  it  very  attentively  for  a  while,  he  exclaimed, 
in  a  loud  voice,  "This  worm  is  of  our  race,"  and  then 
sailed  majestically  back  to  his  station  in  the  North. 

The  poor  worm  was  obliged  to  undergo  this  terrible 
ordeal  three  times  more,  until  each  one  of  the  four  swans 
had,  in  this  cruel  and  barbarous  manner,  ascertained  to 
their  satisfaction  that  he  belonged  to  their  race. 

As  soon  as  the  last  swan  had  returned  to  his  station,  a 
terrible  noise  was  heard,  accompanied  by  such  a  com 
motion  in  the  water,  that  the  worm  gave  himself  up  for 
lost;  when  suddenly,  out  of  the  noise  and  confusion,  four 
great  aroyas  were  formed,  extending  to  the  north,  south, 
east,  and  west,  which  drained  off  all  the  waters;  leaving 
a  hard,  pebbly  bottom  of  dry  ground. 

Upon  seeing  this,  the  worm  returned  to  the  old  men 
in  the  cave,  and  made  report  of  the  wonderful  things 
he  had  witnessed,  showing  his  wounded  body  as  a  proof 
of  his  statements. 

After  deliberation,  the  old  men  determined  to  send 
the  bear  up,  and  he  was  forthwith  dispatched,  with  orders 
to  enlarge  the  crevice  and  force  his  way  through  to  the 


348  THE  FOUR   NATIONS. 

other  side.  With  a  great  deal  of  hard  work,  he  finally 
succeeded  in  digging  a  hole  sufficiently  large  to  admit 
the  passage  of  both  men  and  animals.  The  old  men, 
upon  learning  this  fact,  summoned  all  the  residents  of  the 
cave,  and  consulted  with  them,  when  it  was  finally  decided 
to  emerge  from  their  present  home  into  the  newly-discov 
ered  country  above. 

The  Navajoes  were  the  first  to  come  forth,  and  when 
fairly  upon  the  outside,  instead  of  assisting  the  others, 
they  organized  a  game  of  patole,  which  they  are  passion 
ately  fond  of,  and  play  with  great  dexterity  to  this  day. 

Next  came  the  Zunis,  who  immediately  commenced 
building  houses.  Then  came  the  Pueblos;  and,  in  order 
to  distinguish  themselves  from  the  Navajoes,  who  had  so 
selfishly  deserted  them,  they  cut  their  hair  straight  across 
their  foreheads,  and  also  induced  the  Zunis  to  imitate 
their  example.  Last  of  all  came  the  Americans,  who  no 
sooner  succeeded  in  obtaining  their  freedom,  than  they 
started  oflf  by  themselves  in  the  direction  in  which  the  sun 
rises,  nor  have  they  ever  been  heard  from  until  very 
recently. 

Up  to  this  point,  all  the  people  who  inhabited  the  cave 
spoke  the  same  language;  but  no  sooner  had  they  sepa 
rated,  than,  in  some  mysterious  manner,  their  dialect  was 
changed,  each  tribe  speaking  a  language  that  was  not  un 
derstood  by  the  others. 


WHO  BUILT  THE  SUN?  349 

As  the  birds  and  beasts  came  forth,  they  at  once  betook 
themselves  to  the  woods  or  to  the  plains,  and  there  made 
their  abode.  The  Great  Spirit,  in  pity  for  their  helpless 
ness,  gave  them  the  domestic  animals,  and  these  have 
always  remained  with  them  as  their  servants. 

At  the  time  the  earth  was  first  peopled,  it  was  very 
small,  and  there  existed  neither  sun,  moon,  nor  stars.  As 
the  light  was  quite  insufficient  for  the  needs  of  the  inhabi 
tants,  a  council  of  all  the  old  men  was  held  to  ascertain 
if  something  could  not  be  done  to  remedy  this  most  serious 
inconvenience,  and  they  finally  decided  that  it  was  nec 
essary,  not  only  to  have  a  sun,  moon,  and  stars,  but  also  a 
firmament  in  which  to  place  them. 

This  decision  having  been  arrived  at,  each  nation  was 
allotted  its  share  of  the  work  of  construction. 

The  Navajoes  preferred  their  claim  for  the  first  choice,  as 
they  were  the  most  daring,  and  were  the  first  to  take  the 
risk  of  venturing  forth  from  the  cave. 

The  old  men  recognized  the  justice  of  their  claim,  and 
to  them  was  assigned  the  task  of  building  the  sun;  but  as 
the  Navajoes  knew  nothing  of  the  art  of  house-building, 
the  Zunis  volunteered  to  help,  to  the  extent  of  erecting 
for  them  a  building  of  sufficient  size  to  serve  for  a  work 
shop.  This  being  completed,  the  Navajoes  shut  themselves 
up  with  the  materials  they  had  gathered  together  for  tools, 
and  went  to  work  at  their  task. 


350  THE   MOON  AND  STARS? 

To  the  Zunis  was  allotted  the  building  of  the  heavens, 
and  placing  therein  the  moon,  which  they  were  also  to 
construct;  while  the  Pueblos  contracted  to  supply  the  stars, 
and  broider  them  in  the  firmament.  The  Americans,  on 
account  of  their  hasty  departure,  and  the  evident  desire  man 
ifested  by  them  to  escape  the  toil  and  labor  necessarily 
following  in  such  a  work  of  creation  and  organization, 
were  assigned  no  task,  the  old  men  declaring  they  should 
have  no  hand  in  the  construction  or  management.  Thus 
it  came  to  pass  that  the  Americans  lost  much  prestige 
at  the  outset. 

The  heavens  being  completed,  they  were  at  once  elevated 
to  their  place,  where,  owing  to  the  pressure  of  the  ascending 
air  from  the  earth,  they  have  ever  since  remained. 

The  Navajoes  met  with  a  great  many  difficulties  in  the 
completion  of  their  work,  and  were  finally  obliged  to  call 
to  their  assistance  the  Zunis,  who,  with  a  spirit  of  liberal 
ity  quite  wonderful,  when  the  fact  of  the  selfishness  of  the 
Navajoes  is  taken  into  consideration,  cheerfully  acceded 
to  their  request,  and  at  once  sent  a  deputation  of  their 
most  skilled  workmen  to  aid  in  completing  and  elevating 
to  its  place  the  great  luminary  that  shines  for  all. 

How  they  accomplished  their  work,  or  what  means  were 
used  to  cause  it  to  so  admirably  dispense  its  light  and  heat, 
is  a  subject  that  our  informant  did  not  enlighten  us  upon. 
The  sun  and  moon  were  both  placed  in  charge  of  the  two 


WHO   SPOILT   THE   BROIDERY?  351 

oldest  Zunis  in  the  tribe,  who  have  been  carrying  them  ever 
since;  and  as  the  earth  grows  each  year,  they  are  obliged 
to  remove  with  them  farther  back  so  that  the}7  may  not 
scorch  its  surface.  At  the  time  of  their  construction,  the 
•sun  and  moon  were  made  precisely  alike,  but  the  man  who 
carries  the  moon  has  got  so  far  from  the  surface  of  the 
earth  that  we  no  longer  feel  the  heat  from  that  orb. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  Pueblos  had  been  most  vigorously 
at  work  manufacturing  stars,  and  had  a  large  number  ready 
for  broidering  in  the  firmament. 

This  they  had  commenced  to  do  in  the  most  beautiful  man 
ner,  so  as  to  represent  bears,  fishes,  women,  etc.;  and  while 
engaged  in  the  pleasant  occupation,  a  coyote  chanced  to 
pass  b}T,  and  seeing  the  great  lot  of  stars,  and  the  delicacy 
of  the  operation  of  embroidering  them,  said,  "What's  the 
use  of  taking  so  much  trouble  with  these  stars?  Stick  'ein 
in  anywhere."  And,  suiting  the  action  to  the  word,  he 
bounded  upon  the  pile,  and  in  an  instant  had  scattered 
them  promiscuously  all  over  the  face  of  the  heavens.  This 
is  the  reason  why  we  have  so  few  constellations,  and  why 
the  stars  are  scattered  in  so  singular  and  wonderful  a  man 
ner  over  the  firmament,  instead  of  having  the  beautiful 
images  that  the  Pueblos  originally  intended. 

Thus  is  here  given,  in  a  most  satisfactory  and  compre 
hensive  manner,  the  solution  of  the  problem  that,  I  venture 
to  say,  has  puzzled  quite  as  many  of  the  leading  astrono- 


352  THE    GOOD   GIFTS. 

raers.  as  it  has   children  of  all  ages  and   conditions,  who 
have  loved  to  watch  the  heavens  on  a  starry  night. 

The  springs  of  water  found  upon  the  surface  were 
made  when  the  earth  was  small:  and  the  Sacred  Spring  at 
Zuni,  being  the  first  one  made,  is  the  great  mother  spring 
of  all,  and  hence  the  Great  Spirit  has  taken  it  under  his 
especial  care  and  protection,  demanding  that  people  of  all 
nations  shall  hold  it  sacred. 

As  the  earth  grows,  the  springs  become  stretched  farther 
and  farther  apart  each  year,  and  this  is  the  reason  they  are 
so  scarce  on  the  earth's  surface. 

After  the  sun,  moon,  stars,  and  the  heavens  had  been 
created,  and  were  each  filling  their  appropriate  sphere,  tne 
old  men  called  a  council  for  the  purpose  of  seeing  how 
they  could  benefit  their  children,  who  were  so  dependent 
upon  them  for  all  the  good  gifts  they  might  enjoy. 

After  deliberating  a  long  while,  they  finally,  with  their 
own  hands,  constructed  three  tenajas,  or  water-jars,  one  of 
which  they  ornamented  with  figures  of  most  elegant  design 
and  brilliant  coloring;  this  they  filled  with  worthless 
trash,  bits  of  wool,  and  articles  of  no  possible  value. 

The  other  two  were  of  precisely  the  same  size  and  snaps, 
but  made  of  very  coarse  common  ware,  and  entirely  unor- 
namented:  one  of  these  they  filled  with  flocks  and  herds  and 
implements  of  agriculture;  the  other  with  tools  and  all 
kinds  of  useful  articles.  After  covering  the  three  tenajas* 


THE   CHOICE  AND  PROPHECY.  353 

so  as  to  effectually  conceal  their  contents,  they  called 
together  the  different  tribes,  and  said  unto  them,  "Choose! 
And  as  ye  choose,  so  shall  it  always  be  with  you  through 
life." 

The  Navajoes,  having  preferred  their  claim  to  the  first 
choice,  upon  its  being  allowed,  immediately  chose  the 
beautiful  tenaja,  which  they  carried  in  triumph  away, 
leaving  the  two  plain  ones  to  become  the  property  of  the 
Zunis  and  Pueblos. 

The  Zunis,  choosing  next,  found  their  jar  filled  with  agri 
cultural  and  mechanical  tools,  as  well  as  other  useful  arti 
cles;  and  the  Pueblos,  upon  opening  the  remaining  jar, 
found  it  to  contain  flocks  and  herds,  and  articles  with 
which  to  manufacture  clothes,  besides  others  of  less  value. 

The  Navajoes,  after  witnessing  the  opening  of  the  plain 
jars,  were  quite  jubilant  at  the  prospect  of  the  good  things 
in  store  for  them,  and  it  was  with  no  small  degree  of 
ostentatious  pride  that  they  proceeded  to  remove  the  cov 
ering  from  the  beautiful  jar  of  their  choice. 

Imagine  their  chagrin  and  disappointment  upon  finding 
it  filled  with  worthless  trash,  and  containing  not  a  single 
useful  article.  After  the  choice  had  been  made,  and  the  jars 
opened,  the  old  men  addressed  the  assembled  tribes  as  fol 
lows:  "Thus  shall  it  ever  be  with  you.  You  Navajoes  shall 
always  wander  over  the  plains  without  permanent  homes 
or  habitations;  you  were  pleased  with  the  outside,  and 
45 


854  WHAT  THE    TURKEY  BROUGHT. 

stopped  not  to  consider  that  it  was  but  the  shell  which 
covered  the  meat;  you  permitted  your  eyes  to  lead  you,  to 
the  exclusion  of  all  other  senses,  and  you  must  now  abide 
the  result  of  your  own  selfish  acts." 

To  the  Zunis  and  Pueblos  they  said:  "You  Zunis  and 
Pueblos  shall  have  fixed  residences,  be  blessed  with  flocks 
and  herds,  and  find  food  in  the  ground;  you  shall  be  an 
industrious  and  frugal  people,  and  always  enjoy  the  favor 
of  the  Great  Spirit.  He  shall  send  you  food  and  give  you 
clothing,  and  thus  shall  you  reap  your  reward." 

Up  to  this  time  the  people  had  no  grain  or  fruits,  but 
only  the  flesh  of  animals,  and  such  roots  and  herbs  as  they 
had  been  able  to  obtain  from  the  ground. 

One  evening,  while  the  Zunis  were  sitting  around  their 
camp-fire,  they  heard  a  great  noise,  and  looking  up  to 
ascertain  its  cause,  discovered  a  beautiful  white  hen-turkey 
flying  into  their  midst  from  the  place  where  the  morning- 
star  rises. 

This  turkey  alighted  in  the  valley,  upon  the  very  spot 
where  the  pueblo  of  Zuni  now  stands.  The  beautiful  bird 
was  permitted  to  remain  undisturbed,  the  people  regarding 
her  as  a  messenger  from  the  Great  Spirit. 

Early  in  the  morning,  while  dressing  her  plumage,  an 
ear  of  corn  dropped  from  under  her  wing ;  which  was  taken 
possession  of  by  the  Zunis,  and  divided  into  three  parts. 
The  small  end  was  given  to  the  Navajoes,  who,  to  this  day, 


SHOT  INTO   THE   CLOUDS.  355 

raise  very  inferior  corn;  to  the  Pueblos  was  given  the 
middle  portion,  and  they  have  much  finer  corn  than  the 
Navajoes;  while  the  larger  end  was  kept  by  the  Zunis, 
who  have  always  raised  very  fine  corn. 

The  next  evening  the  turkey  came  again,  bringing  with 
her,  fruit  and  cereals ;  but  a  great  part  of  the  grain  which 
fell  from  under  her  wings  was  Devoured  by  birds,  and  the 
remainder  divided  between  the  Zunis  and  Pueblos,  who  to 
this  day  raise  fine  fruits,  as  well  as  wheat,  rye,  etc. 

Shortly  after  this,  the  oldest  man  among  the  Zunis 
determined  to  make  a  visit  to  his  neighbors,  the  Navajoes. 
He  reached  their  country  in  safety,  but  while  there  got 
into  some  difficulty  with  them,  and  they,  taking  advantage 
of  their  numbers  and  strength,  and  also  to  revenge  them 
selves  upon  the  Zunis  for  the  unfortunate  choice  they  had 
made  in  the  tenajas,  placed  the  old  man  upon  a  bowstring, 
as  they  would  an  arrow,  and  shot  him  into  the  clouds, 
expecting  to  see  him  fall  and  be  dashed  to  pieces  upon  the 
ground.  Their  consternation  was  great  indeed,  when  they 
discovered  that  he  did  not  return.  Then  they  realized  that 
they  had  given  to  the  Zunis  a  guiding  spirit  who  would 
ever  watch  over  and  protect  them. 

After  many  years  the  old  man  sent  his  son  with  mes 
sages  of  love  and  affection,  as  well  as  assurances  of 
protection  for  his  children.  The  son  remained  with  the 
Zunis  for  a  great  while,  and  they  prospered,  and  became  a 


356  WHY  THE  DEAD  ABE   BURIED. 

mighty  nation;  but  one  evil  day,  having  become  offended 
with  them  for  some  reason,  he  went  away  to  the  South, 
and  was  absent  for  a  long  time;  when  he  returned  he 
brought  with  him  the  Spaniards  and  fire-arms,  as  a  punish 
ment  for  their  wickedness. 

After  some  time  the  young  man  died,  and  the  Spaniards 
returned  again  into  Mexico^  The  body  of  the  young  man 
was  carefully  laid  away,  and  two  Zunis  appointed  to  watch 
it.  Three  days  later,  when  they  went  for  it,  they  were 
much  surprised  to  find  that  in  some  mysterious  manner  it 
had  disappeared,  nor  could  it  be  found. 

Many  days  after,  one  of  the  old  men  of  the  Zunis  visited 
the  cave  in  ,the  mountains  from  which  the  tribes  had  orig 
inally  emerged,  and  to  his  astonishment  discovered  the 
dead  man  sitting  upon  a  block  of  solid  silver  shaped  like 
a  throne,  engaged  in  cutting  his  hair  after  the  fashion  of  the 
Pueblos.  Upon  speaking  to  him,  the  young  man  entirely 
ignored  his  question,  but  in  a  low,  melodious  tone  spoke  as 
follows  :  — 

"All  those  who  die  must  come  down  here  and  live  with 
me  in  this  our  first  home ;  for  out  of  the  earth  they  sprang, 
and  to  the  earth  must  they  return,  where  they  shall  dwell 
with  me,  and  I  with  them,  for  this  is  our  mother's  home." 

Since  that  day  the  Zunis  have  always  buried  their  dead 
in  the  ground. 

From  this  simple  narration   of  the  Zunis'  legend   of   the 


DESCENT  OF  THE  APACHES.  357 

reation,  it  will  be  seen  that  they  firmly  maintain  and  cling 
to  the  idea  of  an  entirely  distinct  and  separate  nation  from 
either  the  Pueblos  or  Navajoes,  from  which  latter  nation 
they  assert  the  Apaches  are  an  offshoot. 

If  this  latter  assertion  be  the  truth  or  not,  it  is  certainly 
a  fact  that  the  distinguishing  traits  and  characteristics  of 
the  three  nations  are  most  admirably  and  truthfully  por 
trayed  in  the  legend,  and  to  this  day  arc  most  plainly  and 
perceptibly  noticeable  in  the  habits  and  customs  of  the 
different  tribes. 

If  a  Navajoe  sees  an  object  that  pleases  his  eye  or 
strikes  his  fancy,  he  will  make  any  sacrifice  to  obtain  it; 
although  it  may  have  no  intrinsic  value,  or  be  of  the  least 
possible  use.  On  the  other  hand,  a  Zuni  or  Pueblo  cannot  be 
induced  to  purchase  anything  that  is  not  of  use  or  has  not  a 
specific  value. 

Again,  the  Navajoes  have  never  had  a  fixed  residence,  but 
wander  at  will  over  the  country  with  their  flocks  and  herds, 
without  any  local  habitation  or  chief,  save  that  the  wealthiest 
men  of  the  tribe  are  generally  regarded  as  leaders  or  chiefs; 
each  one  having  his  own  set  of  adherents  and  retainers.  In 
this  particular,  they  are  not  unlike  the  old  feudal  chiefs  of 
the  Scottish  Highlands. 

The  Pueblos  have  governments  of  their  own;  the  people 
live  in  well-constructed  houses;  all  cultivate  the  earth  to 
a  greater  or  less  extent,  and  are  in  some  degree  skilled  in 


358  TEMPUS  FUGIT. 

the  art  of  manufacturing;  while  nearly  all  of  them  are  the 
possessors  of  flocks  and  herds. 

Athough  I  do  not  regard  the  truthfulness  of  the  above 
legend  to  be  established  beyond  all  question,  still  I  had  been 
so  pleasantly  entertained  by  the  narration,  and  so  lulled  and 
soothed  by  the  low,  crooning  tone  in  which  it  had  been 
told,  that  I  had  quite  forgotten  the  flight  of  time,  and  was 
unaware  how  perceptibly  the  shadows  had  lengthened 
while  1  had  been  listening  to  it,  nor  was  I  roused  from  the 
reverie  into  which  I  had  almost  unconsciously  drifted,  until 
Don  Rafael  exclaimed,  with  decided  emphasis,  "Ugh  I 
Vamose!" 

Starting  to  my  feet,  I  saw  at  once  that  it  was  full  time 
for  us  to  commence  our  descent  of  the  steep  and  precipi 
tous  path  that  led  to  the  plain  beneath,  if  we  would 
reach  it  before  nightfall. 

The  sun  was  fast  sinking  to  his  rest  behind  the  high 
table-lands,  volcanic  peaks,  and  rugged,  broken  country  of 
the  vast  western  waste  lying  between  us  and  the  blue 
waters  of  the  Pacific;  and  the  soft,  purplish  haze  that  so 
beautifully  heralds  the  approach  of  an  August  twilight  was 
already  enshrouding  the  plain  below  us,  lending  an  inde 
scribably  uncertain  appearance  to  objects  that  an  hour 
before  had  been  clearly  visible,  but  the  outlines  of  tvhicL 
were  now  scarcely  traceable  through  the  delicate  veil  that 


TWILIGHT  359 

seemed  to  have  been  thrown  over  the  valley.  Taking  a  last, 
lingering  look  at  the  magnificent  panorama,  now  so 
gradually  fading  from  our  sight,  we  commenced  the  tedious 
descent,  reluctantly  bidding  adieu  to  old  Zuni,  and  its 
mnny  untold  beauties. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

E  accomplished  the  descent  without  accident, 
although  I  never  in  my  life  remember  to 
have  paid  closer  attention  to  any  command 
of  Scripture  than  I  did  during  our  journey, 
to  the  warning  of  the  Apostle,  when  he 
says,  "Let  him  who  thinketh  he  standeth, 
take  heed  lest  he  fall." 
The  least  misstep  would  have  precipitated  us  a  thousand 
feet  down  the  perpendicular  side  of  the  mesa  to  the  plain 
below,  in  a  manner  much  less  agreeable  than  the  slow,  labori 
ous  descent  we  were  now  making,  and  which  common  pru 
dence  seemed  to  demand  for  our  safety. 

It  was  quite  late  when  we  reached  camp,  though  not  so 
dark  but  that  we  were  able  to  distinguish  two  dusky  forms 
moving  hastily  away  as  we  approached,  with  the  evident 
intention  of  escaping  our  notice. 

Don  Rafael  immediately  started  to  overtake  them,  while 
the  doctor  and  myself  proceeded  directly  to  camp,  to  find 

(360) 


JIMMY'S    GENEROSITY.  361 

Jimmy  busily  engaged  in  preparing  our  supper,  and  whis 
tling  "The  girl  I  left  behind  me." 

Don  Rafael  shortly  made  his  appearance  in  company  with 
the  blue-eyed  maiden  of  the  rosary  and  cross,  and  her 
mother,  a  well-preserved  old  lady  of  about  fifty  years ;  each 
of  whom  was  well  laden  with  sugar,  tea,  coffee,  flour, 
candles,  calico,  jewelry,  and  a  bottle  of  our  precious 
whiskey,  together  with  the  only  remaining  box  of  "Albert 
biscuit." 

I  was  thoroughly  indignant  at  sight  of  them  and  their 
possessions,  and  somewhat  peremptorily  ordered  them  to  put 
everything  down, —  an  order  that  they  did  not  seem  in  the 
least  disposed  to  obey. 

At  this  juncture  Jimmy  put  in  an  appearance,  and  com 
prehending  how  matters  stood,  came  to  the  relief  of  his 
friends,  by  remarking:  — 

"Please,  sur,  make  out  the  bill,  an'  I'm  riddy  to  sittle  it 
now." 

I  said,  "What  does  this  mean,  Jiminy;  what  are  these 
women  doing  with  those  bundles?" 

"Thiin's  the  artycles,  sur,  wid  which  I've  purchased  mi 
fradom." 

"Purchased  what!     What  do  you  mean?" 

"Why,  sur,  as  ye've  ubleged  me  to  brake  mi  ingagemenl 
wid  the  gurl,  I've  given  her  ricompinse,  sur." 

"How  came  she  in  camp,  any  way,  Jimmy?" 
46 


362  HE  RISES   TO  EXPLAIN: 

"Faith,  sur,  she  warked  in,  I  suppose,  wid  her  mother, 
to  git  the  partin'  gifts." 

Here  Don  Rafael,  speaking  to  me  in  Spanish,  remarked 
that  he  presumed  that  both  the  girl  and  her  mother  supposed 
them  to  be  wedding  presents,  as  it  was  always  customary 
among  the  Zunis  for  the  groom  to  make,  not  only  the  bride 
herself  presents,  but  her  family  also,  just  before  the  cere 
mony;  indeed,  that  was  about  all  there  was  to  the  marriage. 

This  information  caused  me  to  ask  Jimmy  if  the  girl  fully 
understood  that  they  were  "partin'  gifts." 

"ludade,  sur,  I  told  her  so  misilf,  wid  mi  own  finghers." 

I  then  tried  to  explain  to  Jimmy  that  the  articles  taken 
were  worth,  at  least,  fifty  dollars,  which  would  be  the 
amount  of  two  months'  wages;  and  that,  undoubtedly, 
instead  of  their  being  regarded  as  "partin'  gifts,"  they  were 
considered  wedding  presents;  therefore,  under  no  consider 
ation,  could  they  be  permitted  to  take  them  away,  as,  should 
they  do  so,  the  cacique  would  have  no  option  in  the  matter, 
but  to  force  him  to  marry  the  girl,  in  which  case  we  should  be 
obliged  to  leave  him  behind  us  when  we  returned,  and  with 
out  doubt  he  would  share  the  fate  of  the  Welsh  miners, 
black  Esteva,  and  many  hundred  others  who  had  fallen  vic 
tims  to  laws,  as  unalterable  as  those  of  the  Medes  and  Per 
sians. 

That  part  of  my  speech  referring  to  the  Medes  and  Per 
sians  evidently  startled  Jimmy,  who,  turning  to  Dr.  Parker, 


AND  RECANTS.  363 

desired  to  know  if  "thim  fellers  lived  in  the  town  over 
there?"  pointing  to  the  pueblo. 

Upon  being  most  gravely  assured  that  they  not  only  lived 
there,  but  that  their  entire  occupation  consisted  in  acting  the 
part  of  executioners  to  the  unfortunate  victims  of  Zuni  ma 
levolence,  he  approached  me  in  a  very  subdued  manner,  and 
remarked,  in  a  loud  whisper:  — 

"I  guess  we'd  better  take  the  things,  an'  sind  the  gurls 
back  widout  'em." 

I  told  him  that  I  would  do  so,  although  I  very  much 
doubted  my  ability  to  prevent  the  catastrophe  which  we  all 
so  much  feared,  especially  if  a  knowledge  of  the  transaction 
should  reach  the  ears  of  the  two  executioners  before  men 
tioned;  and  that  if  I  should  fail  in  my  attempts  to  avert  the 
calamity  that  seemed  hovering  over  him,  he  could  reflect,  as 
he  was  led  out  to  execution,  that  his  untimely  end  had  been 
caused  solely  by  a  wilful  and  persistent  disobedience  of 
orders,  —  a  statement  which  Jimmy  admitted  was  "thrue," 
and,  he  added,  "the  thaught  of  it  will  be  a  waruin'  to  me 
all  the  rist  ov  mi  life,  whin  it  happens." 

Ordering  Jimmy  to  immediately  finish  the  preparations  for 
our  supper,  we  sent  the  women  back  to  town  empty-handed, 
a  course  of  procedure  which,  as  their  manner  indicated,  was 
anything  but  agreeable  to  them. 

Quite  early  the  next  morning  we  received  a  visit  from  the 
cacique,  who  seemed  anxious  to  know  the  impression  made 


364  OUAHNOKAITIN. 

upon  our  minds  by  the  sight  of  old  Zuni,  as  woll  as  to  learn 
if  the  guide  he  furnished  us  the  day  before  had  performed 
his  duty  in  an  acceptable  manner. 

Returning  him  many  thanks  for  his  kindness,  and  assuring 
him  of  our  admiration  of  the  beauties  of  his  country,  as  well 
as  surprise  at  the  many  strange  sights  we  had  witnessed 
in  it,  the  old  man,  in  an  ill-disguised  tone  of  pride, 
related  many  facts  concerning  it,  which  were  indeed  most 
marvellous. 

Among  other  things,  he  told  us  of  a  remarkable  spring 
situated  in  the  Moquis  country,  about  four  days'  journey  to 
the  west  of  Zuni,  which  he  said  he  had  once  visited. 
This  spring  is  named  by  the  Zunis,  <  'Ouahnokaitin. ' '  I  have 
since  learned  that  it  has  been  called  by  those  Americans  who 
have  visited  it,  " Jacob's  Well." 

The  old  man  described  it  as  a  large  hole  in  the  plain, 
shaped  precisely  like  a  funnel.  It  is  six  hundred  feet  in 
diameter  at  the  top,  and  one  hundred  and  sixty  feet  deep. 

At  the  bottom  of  this  hole  is  a  spring  of  remarkably  pure 
cold  water,  which  bubbles  up  to  the  height  of  nearly  four  feet, 
like  a  boiling  spring, —  an  underground  passage  carrying  off 
the  surplus  water. 

This  spring  is  reached  by  a  spiral  staircase  cut  in  the 
rock  and  earth,  which,  though  evidently  of  great  antiquity, 
is  well-preserved,  and  still  used  by  travellers. 

By  whom  this  marvellous  staircase  was  constructed,  01 


LEGEND  REGARDING   IT.  365 

how  long  it  has  existed  in  this  desert,  we  have  nothing 
authoritative,  save  Indian  legend. 

The  Moquis  claim  to  have  known  it  for  many  hundred 
years,  and  have  always  regarded  it  as  one  of  the  marvels  of 
their  country,  looking  upon  it  with  that  kind  of  awe  und 
veneration  which  the  Indian  mind  intuitively  attaches  to 
whatever  borders  on  the  strange  and  mysterious. 

The  Zuni  legend  of  the  spring  is  as  follows. 

After  the  waters  had  abated  from  the  face  of  the  earth, 
the  Great  Spirit  saw  that  the  vast  plain  which  extended  far 
away  towards  the  place  where  the  sun  sets,  and  over  which 
his  children  must  travel  if  they  would  reach  the  great  water 
beyond,  had  become  very  dry  and  parched,  and  that  the 
springs  and  rivers  he  had  created  upon  its  surface  were 
dried  up  by  the  heat  of  the  sun  and  the  warmth  of  the  winds 
that  continually  swept  over  them;  that  those  of  his  children 
who  were  obliged  to  make  this  tedious  journey  suffered 
terribly  from  thirst,  and  often  perished  with  their  animals. 

One  night  a  large  number  of  them  were  encamped  near 
this  spot ;  for  days  they  had  been  suffering  greatly  for  the 
want  of  water,  not  a  drop  of  which  could  they  find  on  the 
plain ;  they  had  finally  given  up  the  search  in  despair ;  their 
animals  lay  dying  around  them,  and  with  swollen  tongues 
and  parched  throats  they  called  in  whispered  tones  upon 
the  Great  Spirit  to  send  them  water. 

The  Great  Spirit  heard  their  whispered  prayers,  and,  call- 


366  THE    WORK  OF   WHOSE  HANDS. 

ing  to  his  assistance  the  afreets,  in  a  single  night  they  con 
structed  this  wonderful  well.  In  the  morning  the  weary 
and  almost  famishing  travellers  descended  by  this  marvellous 
staircase,  and  quaffed  their  fill  of  the  cool,  delicious  water 
that  bubbled  up  so  refreshingly  at  its  foot. 

The  Great  Spirit  has  watched  over  it  ever  since.  No  sun 
reaches  it,  no  heat  warms  it,  but  it  is  always  cool,  spark 
ling,  and  refreshing;  and  as  the  traveller  pauses  upon  its 
brink,  its  murmurs  fall  melodiously  upon  his  ear,  inviting 
him  to  descend  and  partake  of  its  delicious  coolness,  always 
reminding  him  of  the  beneficence  and  wisdom  of  the  Great 
Spirit.  Therefore  they  call  it  "Ouahnokaitin,"  or,  Blessing 
of  the  Desert,  by  which  name  it  is  known  to  this  day. 

At  first  I  was  inclined  to  doubt  the  actual  existence  of  so 
singular  a  phenomenon,  especially  as  the  cacique  assured  me 
there  was  nothing  to  indicate  that  a  settlement  had  ever 
existed  near  it;  but  I  have  since  met  with  two  Americans 
who  have  visited  the  well,  and  speak  of  it  as  one  of  the 
greatest  marvels  of  this  most  marvellous  country;  nor  does 
their  description  •  of  it  differ  materially  from  that  of  the 
cacique. 

The  Abbe"  Domenech,  in  his  work  on  "The  Deserts  ot 
North  America,''  mentions  its  existence,  although  he  does 
not  claim  to  have  ever  visited  it. 

Without  doubt,  the  spring  itself  is  one  of  those  curious 
formations  of  Nature  so  frequently  found  here;  and  some 


BURIAL  RITES.  367 

now  extinct  nation  sought  to  utilize  the  water  by  constructing 
fhe  staircase  that  enables  the  thirsty  and  travel-worn  way 
farer  to  slake  his  burning  thirst  with  its  refreshing  coolness. 

About  eleven  o'clock  in  the  morning,  the  cacique,  after 
having  spent  several  hours  in  relating  many  wonderful  facts 
concerning  the  country  and  its  people,  announced  himself 
obliged  to  return  to  the  pueblo,  as  one  of  the  old  men  who 
had  died  the  night  previous  was  to  be  buried  that  day  at 
meridian. 

Upon  my  suggesting  that  I  should  be  pleased  to  attend 
the  funeral  ceremonies,  the  old  man  cordially  invited  the 
doctor  and  myself  to  accompany  him  and  witness  the  rites, 
—  an  invitation  which  we  were  pleased  to  accept.  In  a 
short  time  we  reached  the  plaza,  just  as  the  funeral  proces 
sion  was  entering  it. 

Four  men,  bearing  upon  their  shoulders  the  corpse, 
dressed  in  its  usual  garb,  its  hair  gayly  ornamented  with  rib 
bons,  preceded  the  mourners,  who  slowly  and  reverentially 
followed.  Upon  reaching  the  shallow  grave,  the  body 
was  placed  therein  without  a  covering  of  any  kind  to  pro 
tect  it  from  the  earth. 

In  solemn  silence  each  of  the  mourners  approached, 
and  taking  up  a  handful  of  earth,  cast  it  upon  the  body; 
then  a  number  of  women  appeared,  their  hair  flowing  loosely 
down  their  backs,  and  each  bearing  upon  her  shoulders  a 
tenaja  filled  with  water. 


368 


THE   DEATH  CRY. 


The  first  one  now  approached,  and  as  she  stooped  over 
the  grave,  her  hair  falling  loosely  about  her  face  and  body, 
gave  to  her  a  singularly  weird  and  picturesque  appearance. 

Slowly  removing  the  tenaja  from  her  shoulders,  and  hold 
ing  it  for  a  moment  suspended  in  the  air,  she  deliberately 


BTJEIAL   SCENE. 


turned  its  contents  over   the  body  in  the  grave,  at  the  same 
time  giving  utterance  to  the  death-cry,  a  low,   plaintive, 
wailing  moan,  which  seemed  to  cause  my  very  flesh  to  creep, 
so  terribly  distinct  was  it  in  unearthly  penetration. 
The  women  approached  separately,  and,  as  they  emptied 


JIMMY  ANXIOUS.  369 

the  contents  of  their  tenajas  into  the  grave,  joined  in  the 
cry,  until,  as  their  numbers  increased,  their  voices  growing 
louder  and  louder,  the  sad,  wailing  cries  seemed  to  fill  the 
entire  air,  almost  paralyzing  the  senses  with  their  unearthly 
tones.  Long  after  they  had  disappeared  from  our  sight, 
and  distance  had  somewhat  softened  the  shrill  plaintiveness, 
it  was  borne  to  our  ears  on  the  noontide  breeze,  sounding 
like  the  wail  of  some  poor  soul,  bereft  of  all  hope. 

We  were  some  way  on  our  return  towards  camp  when  I 
remembered  that  I  had  promised  Jimmy  before  leaving,  that 
while  in  the  pueblo  I  would  endeavor  to  explain  his  case  to 
the  caeique  so  satisfactorily  that  he  would  understand  it, 
and  not  allow  the  friends  or  relatives  of  the  girl  to  prejudice 
his  mind,  if  they  should  make  complaint  to  him  of  Jim 
my's  conduct;  for,  situated  as  we  were,  it  really  seemed 
important  that  no  difficulties  should  arise  between  ourselves 
and  the  Zunis. 

Jimmy,  seeing  us  approach,  came  out  to  meet  us,  exceed 
ingly  anxious  to  know  if  we'd  "fixed  it  all  right  wid  the 
bazaque,"  as  he  styled  the  governor;  and  his  disappointment 
was  so  apparent,  when  I  informed  him  that  I  had  neglected 
to  speak  to  him  on  the  subject,  that  Dr.  Parker  remarked  to 
me,  "At  last  we've  got  Jimmy  scared,  and  we  need  antici 
pate  no  more  trouble  with  him  on  account  of  the  women 
while  he's  here,  that's  very  evident."  Scarcely  had  we 
reached  camp  ere  Jimmy  again  appealed  to  me,  urging  me 
47 


370  ABSENT  FROM  CAMP. 

t 
to  have   "matthers  fixed  wid  the  bazaque;"   and  so  earnest 

was  he  in  preferring  his  request,  that,  after  consulting  with 
the  doctor,  I  concluded  to  dispatch  Jimmy  to  the  pueblo  at 
once,  and  have  him  bring  the  two  women  into  camp,  hoping 
by  this  means  to  satisfy  any  demands  they  might  think  he 
had  incurred  by  his  flirtations  with  the  daughter. 

After  supper,  upon  calling  Jimmy  to  dispatch  him  on  the 
errand  to  the  pueblo,  we  found,  to  our  great  surprise,  that 
he  had  most  mysteriously  disappeared,  and  was  nowhere  to 
be  seen. 

We  waited  for  him  until  nearly  ten  o'clock,  and  he  did 
not  make  his  appearance;  so  we  smoked  our  last  pipe,  and 
"turned  in,"  in  no  very  enviable  frame  of  mind,  quite 
determined  to  bring  matters  to  a  crisis  on  the  morrow  as 
far  as  Jimmy  was  concerned,  to  say  the  least. 

It  was  a  beautiful  night;  and  after  retiring  to  my  blankets, 
I  lay  for  a  long  time  watching  the  stars,  and  tracing  the 
constellations  visible  in  the  heavens,  quite  unable  to  com 
pose  myself  to  sleep.  Finally  the  moon  rose,  gilding  the 
tops  of  the  high  terraced  houses  with  its  silvery  beams; 
the  mournful  cry  of  the  whip-poor-will  sounded  on  the 
night  air,  causing  a  feeling  of  sadness  to  steal  over  my 
senses,  which  1  in  vain  attempted  to  dispel,  by  trying  to 
devise  some  plan  that  would  keep  Jimmy  away  from  the 
pueblo,  where  I  had  no  doubt  he  was  then  sojourning, 
enjoying  the  glorious  moonlight  from  the  terrace  of  his 


A  PRESENTIMENT.  371 

blue-eyed  maiden's  casa,  and,  shall  T  say  it,  rather  envying 
him  the  situation,  when  I  finally  fell  asleep. 

How  long  I  slept,  I  could  not  tell.  I  awoke  with  a  start, 
and  a  strong  presentiment  that  there  was  something  wrong. 

What  had  awakened  me  so  suddenly,  or  the  cause  of  the 
presentiment,  I  did  not  know.  As  I  lay  for  a  moment, 
endeavoring  to  account  for  this  singular  impression,  I  dis 
tinctly  heard  the  sharp,  quick  ring  of  a  rifle-shot  apparently 
on  the  other  side  of  the  pueblo.  There  was  nothing  alarm 
ing  in  the  sound  itself,  but  the  feeling  I  had  experienced  on 
first  awakening  still  oppressed  me,  and  I  anxiously  listened 
for  a  repetition  of  the  cause  of  my  alarm.  Nothing,  how 
ever,  disturbed  the  stillness  of  the  glorious  night,  save  the 
whip-poor-will's  cry,  or  the  occasional  croak  of  a  frog  near 
the  little  stream  that  ran  quietly  by  our  camp. 

Suddenly  I  heard  the  sound  of  five  or  six  shots  in  quick 
succession,  apparently  coming  from  the  direction  of  the 
pueblo;  and  as  I  knew  that  scarcely  one  in  thirty  of  the 
Zunis  possessed  fire-arms,  I  was  confident  that  whatever  the 
occasion,  there  must,  in  any  event,  be  a  large  number  gath 
ered  together. 

I  sprang  to  my  feet  just  in  time  to  see  Don  Rafael  appear 
from  the  other  side  of  the  wagon,  rifle  in  hand,  and  to 
notice  the  dangerous  glitter  of  his  wicked  black  eyes.  He 
saw  me,  placed  his  finger  upon  his  lips,  and  said,  "Hist! 
Navajoes." 


372  ATTACKED  BY  NAVAJOES. 

Instantly  rousing  Dr.  Parker,  who  was  a  very  sound 
sleeper,  we  at  once  prepared  to  give  the  Indians  a  warm 
reception,  should  they  favor  our  camp  with  a  visit,  though 
Don  Rafael  seemed  to  think  we  had  nothing  to  fear  from 
them.  Telling  him  to  call  Jimmy,  I  learned,  much  to  my 
annoyance,  that  he  had  not  yet  returned  to  camp,  although 
it  was  now  nearly  two  o'clock  in  the  morning. 

What  could  have  become  of  him?  I  was  exceedingly 
vexed,  and  somewhat  anxious  at  his  absence  from  camp  at 
this  particular  time. 

An  examination  of  our  fire-arms  revealed  the  fact  that 
*ve  had  twenty-one  shots,  without  reloading  or  counting  upon 
the  condition  of  Jimmy's  fowling-piece,  which,  experience 
had  shown  us,  we  were  as  likely  to  find  with  the  powder  on 
top  of  the  bullets,  as  the  bullets  on  top  of  the  powder.  We 
were  quite  satisfied,  however,  that  we  could  successfully 
cope  with  any  number  of  Indians  that  might  attack  us. 

At  this  moment  the  Navajoe  war-whoop  rang  out,  filling 
the  still  air  with  its  terrific  sound,  and  in  spite  of  our  best 
efforts,  almost  curdling  the  blood  in  our  veins,  sending  a 
thrill  of  terror  to  the  very  soul  as  nothing  else  can.  An 
occasional  desultory  shot;  again  the  war-whoop  rings  out. 
shouting  its  defiance  to  our  ear;  and  just  then  Don  Rafael's 
quick  eye  catches  sight  of  a  dozen  or  more  dusky  forms 
visible  upon  the  plain  before  us.  "Carraho,  they're  comin' 
this  way,"  said  he;  "we'd  better  git  behind  the  wagon." 


/  AM   WOUNDED.  373 

No  sooner  said  than  done ;  we  hastily  sought  shelter  behind 
it,  and  waited,  revolvers  in  hand,  the  coming  of  the  foe. 

We  saw  them  approaching  as  rapidly  as  their  splendid 
horses  could  bear  them,  each  second  bringing  them  more 
plainly  and  distinctly  into  view;  when  suddenly  the  fore 
most  one,  who  was  bestriding  a  magnificent  gray  horse, 
disappeared  from  our  view  like  a  flash,  and  then  another 
and  another. 

"It's  them  pits,"  said  Don  Rafael,  as  he  slowly  raised  his 
rifle  to  his  shoulder.  At  this  moment  they  again  uttered 
their  terrible  war-whoop,  completely  drowning,  not  only 
Don  Rafael's  voice,  but  the  sound  of  his  rifle,  as  well  as  that 
of  my  own,  and  causing  me,  I  am  quite  sure,  to  send  my 
first  shot  directly  into  the  face  of  the  moon,  that  was  look 
ing  so  calmly  down  upon  us,  instead  of  into  the  faces  of  the 
Navajoes,  for  whom  it  was  intended. 

They  were  so  near  now  that  we  could  plainly  hear  the  zip 
of  their  arrows  as  they  flew  around  us  on  all  sides;  in  return 
for  which  we  gave  them,  chamber  after  chamber,  the  con 
tents  of  our  revolvers,  to  which  compliment  they  replied 
by  terrific  yells  and  a  perfect  shower  of  arrows. 

I  felt  for  an  instant  a  sharp,  burning  sensation  in  my  left 
arm,  just  above  the  elbow;  and,  glancing  down,  discovered 
an  arrow  sticking  in  my  shirt-sleeve,  which  I  pulled  out  and 
threw  upon  the  ground,  never  dreaming  that  I  had  been 
wounded. 


374  NAVAJOE    TACTICS. 

The  Navajoes  kept  riding  round  as  though  following  a 
circle,  each  turn  bringing  them  nearer  to  us.  When  directly 
opposite  the  camp,  they  would  discharge  their  arrows  at 
us,  and  then  gallop  to  a  place  of  safety,  out  of  the  range  of 
our  revolvers,  — returning  in  a  moment,  and  bending  low  in 
their  saddles,  to  send  another  volley  at  us. 

Tftese  tactics  were  kept  up  some  time,  probably  as 
much  for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining  our  strength,  as  to 
draw  our  fire;  but  under  Don  Rafael's  directions,  our  fire 
was  a  most  judicious  one,  and  so  well  calculated  to  deceive 
them,  that  they  fairly  concluded  our  numerical  force  to  be 
much  larger  than  it  really  was,  therefore  beat  a  retreat, 
leaving  us  masters  of  the  situation.  I  took  particular 
notice  that  after  we  had  ascertained  this  to  be  the  case 
beyond  all  question,  neither  of  us  manifested  any  desire  to 
follow  them. 

Indeed,  I  am  confident  that  if  the  doctor  or  Don  Rafael 
had  made  a  suggestion  to  that  effect,  I  should  not  have 
assented  to  it;  but  later  in  the  day  I  had  the  satisfaction 
of  knowing  that  there  was  not  the  least  danger  of  such  a 
proposition  emanating  from  either  of  them,  for  they  assured 
me  that  had  I  made  it,  they  would  have  considered  it  both 
unwise  and  improper. 

Once  satisfied  that  our  midnight  visitors  had  departed, 
we  began  an  inquiry  into  the  result  of  the  attack.  Briefly, 
this  was  the  situation: 


RESULT  OF   THE  FIGHT.  375 

The  doctor  and  Don  Rafael  had  come  off  without  a 
scratch.  I  had  a  slight,  though  troublesome  wound  in  my 
arm;  Jimmy  was  missing;  our  wagon-cover  had  received  a 
dozen  or  more  arrows;  but  we  knew  our  stock  to  be  all 
safe  in  a  corral  in  the  pueblo. 

No  one  from  the  pueblo  had  come  to  our  assistance, 
although  we  were  confident  that  they  must  have  heard 
and  known  of  the  attack.  Not  a  Zuni  had  we  seen;  nor 
could  we  understand  the  reason  of  it,  because  we  knew  that 
the  Zunis  and  the  Navajoes  had  many  unsettled  feuds, 
which  were  rarely  permitted  to  go  unnoticed,  if  an  oppor 
tunity  occurred  for  redress.  • 

As  the  doctor  was  dressing  my  arm,  I  remarked  to  him 
that  it  would  be  a  great  relief  to  me  to  know  that  Jimmy 
had  been  captured  by  the  rascals,  for  I  was  thoroughly 
incensed  at  his  absence  at  such  a  time;  and  having  made 
up  my  mind  to  no  longer  endure  his  persistent  disobe 
dience  of  orders,  I  would  as  lief  have  the  matter  settled 
in  that  way  as  any  other. 

The  doctor's  reply,  that  neither  Navajoes,  Apaches,  nor 
devils  would  ever  capture  him,  as  his  never-failing  good 
luck  would  bring  him  safely  through,  proved  true;  for 
just  at  that  moment  Don  Rafael  exclaimed,  "See  Jimmy 
couiin,'  quick!  "  at  the  same  time  pointing  to  the  plain. 

We  looked,  and  saw  corning  through  the  bright  moonlight, 
the  coatless,  hatless,  terrified,  flying  figure  of  a  man;  now 


376  A  SCARED  MAN. 

running  as  though  borne  on  the  wings  of  fear,  then  disap 
pearing  for  a  second,  as  he  fell  headlong  to  the  ground, 
again  seemingly  on  "all  fours,"  to  again  straighten  up  with 
a  bound  that  would  have  done  credit  to  a  " jack-ass  rab 
bit,"  each  moment,  however,  managing,  in  spite  of  his  fre 
quent  falls,  to  get  nearer  the  camp,  when,  with  a  tremendous 
burst  of  speed,  splashing  the  water  of  the  creek  high  in 
the  air,  as  he  emphatically  "went  through  it,"  he  tumbled 
headlong  into  camp  over  the  wago^-tongue,  his  hair  stand 
ing  on  end,  and  with  the  whitest  face  I  ever  saw  on  mortal 
man,  yelling  out,  in  tones  that  were  fairly  screeches, 
"Howly  murther,  hstoe  they  got  me?"  and  dropped  to  the 
ground  quite  insensible. 

Our  efforts  restored  him  to  consciousness  after  a  few 
moments,  when,  opening  his  eyes,  and  recognizing  the  doc 
tor,  he  exclaimed,  "Did  the  divil  git  you  too?  Save  her, 
docther!"  and  again  relapsed  into  insensibility. 

It  was  not  until  after  daylight  that  we  were  able  to  obtain 
any  information  relative  to  Jimmy's  mysterious  absence 
from  our  camp,  and  his  singular  return  thereto. 

From  his  statements,  it  seemed  that  the  evening  before, 
by  appointment,  he  had  met  his  fair  Zuni  oharmer,  and 
they  had  gone  out  together  for  a  long  moonlight  stroll; 
that  they  had  wandered  down  near  the  Sacred  Spring,  when 
the  "gurl"  bad  informed  him,  by  "signs  wid  fingers,"  that 
she  wished  him  to  take  an  "ooath"  there. 


JIMMY'S  STORY. 


377 


Now,  as  Jimmy  had  drank  at  the  spring,  and  no  disas 
trous  consequences  had  yet  overtaken  him,  he  reasoned  by 
analogy,  that  he  might  take  a  "lover's  oath"  there  with 
quite  as  much  impunity  as  he  could  drink  from  it  in  any 
event.  So,  said  Jimmy,  "I  wuz  jist  a  swearin'  misilf, 


JIMMY'S  MOONLIGHT  STBOLL. 

whin  I  hea*d  a  noise  like  thunderin',  and  I  looked  lip,  and 
there  wuz  a  dozen  big  strappin'  Injuns  jist  comin'  toarda 
me.  And  I  rin  and  got  behind  a  big  rock,  and  whin  they 
see  the  gurl  a-standin'  there  all  alone  they  giv  a-  yill, 
and  one  of  the  nasty  divils  picked  her  up,  and  throwed 
48 


378  JIMMY  S  STORY. 

her  acrost  his  horse,  jist  like  a  bag  ov  male,  and  she  yelliu' 
like  murther  all  the  time;  and  thin  they  stopped  a  minit, 
and  all  rode  off  togither  till  they  wuz  clane  gone  intirely. 
I  wanted  to  holler,  but  I  didn't  spake  a  word;  I  kipt  as 
still  as  a  did  man  till  they  wuz  all  gone,  and  thin  I  started 
as  fast  as  mi  ligs  would  bring  me  for  the  camp  —  and  I 
had'nt  got  but  a  little  ways  before  I  see  one  of  'em  right 
before  me,  and,  Juge,  I'm  stone  did  and  gone  intirely. 
What  did  I  iver  come  into  this  blasted  countbry  wid  yez 
for?  You'll  save  her,  won't  yez,  Juge!  Howly  murther, 
how  thim  divils  did  rin,  tho';  and  I've  rin  ivery  stip  ov  the 
way,  mor'n  tin  miles,  be  gorra,  and  I'll  niver  lave  the 
camp  again,  by  the  blissed  Vargin  (crossing  himself),  till 
I'm  a  did  man,  and  have  the  breath  of  life  in  me  body.  If 
ye '11  git  the  gurl  back,  Juge,  from  thim  devils,  I'll  niver 
spake  to  her  agin, — boo,  hoo,  hoo!"  And  at  this  point 
Jimmy  burst  into  the  most  lugubrious  fit  of  weeping  that 
any  frightened  man  ever  indulged  in. 

As  soon  as  Jimmy's  incoherent  tale  was  ended,  I 
informed  him  that  it  would  be  quite  impossible  for  us  to  do 
anything  towards  rescuing  the  girl,  at  the  same  time  taking 
advantage  of  the  opportunity  so  unexpectedly  offered,  to 
show  him  that  he  alone  was  to  blame  for  the  misfortune 
that  had  overtaken  her,  as  well  as  himself  and  the  whole 
party;  and  that,  in  addition  to  the  other  trouble  to  be 
answered  for,  would  be  that  of  abduction,  so  soon  as  the 
girl  should  be  missed. 


NEWS  FROM  THE  PUEBLO.  379 

*  'Howly  murther ! ' '  exclaimed  Jimmy .  <  'Will  the  bazaque 
charge  me  wid  all  that,  noo,  and  I  a  good  Christian  boy, 
too?  If  iver  I  git  out  ov  this  divilish  counthry,  all  the 
saints  in  heaven '11  niver  injuce  me  to  intir  into  it  agin; 
d'ye  hear  that,  noo,  Juge?  I  want  to  go  to-day;  lit  s 
start." 

Telling  him  that  this  was  out  of  the  question,  and  bid 
ding  him  be  quiet,  the  doctor  and  myself  went  out  to 
find  Don  Rafael,  who  had  gone  to  the  pueblo,  to  assure 
himself  of  the  safety  of  our  animals,  as  well  as  to  ascertain, 
if  possible,  why  the  Zunis  had  offered  us  no  assistance  the 
night  previous. 

Upon  meeting  him,  he  informed  us  that  a  large  body 
of  Navajoes  had  attacked  the  town  upon  the  opposite  side, 
and  had  succeeded  in  driving  off  a  large  number  of  sheep 
and  cattle;  that  the  party  which  attacked  us  was  one  that 
had  been  sent  around  to  the  rear  of  the  town,  for  the 
purpose  of  making  a  diversion  in  favor  of  their  friends, 
and  that,  without  doubt,  they  were  entirely  unaware  of  our 
presence  until  they  so  unexpectedly  came  upon  us;  that 
matters  in  the  town  were  in  so  much  confusion,  it  seemed 
almost  impossible  to  gain  any  information  at  present, 
therefore  he  suggested  that  we  should  visit  the  position 
held  by  the  Navajoes  in  their  attack  upon  us,  and  ascertain 
the  results  of  our  fight. 

An  examination  of  the  ground  revealed  the  fact  that  the 


380  HOW  THE  ZUNIS  FOUGHT. 

friendly  pits  of  which  we  had  been  so  kindly  warned  by 
the  cacique,  had  been  the  means  of  destroying  no  less  than 
four  good  horses,  while  we  found  two  Navajoes,  cold  and 
stiff  in  the  embrace  of  death,  some  little  distance  in  front  of 
our  camp.  We  took  from  them  their  blankets,  which  were 
very  fine  ones:  one  of  these  was  given  to  Don  Rafael,  and 
the  other  to  Jimmy,  who  in  a  very  short  time  thereafter  was 
heard  to  give  a  succinct  and  most  thrilling  account  of  "how 
the  bloody  divils  attacked  him,  and  he  fought  disperately  for 
life,  until  he  jist  murthered  one  ov  'em  wid  his  gun.  And," 
said  he,  "I  presarved  this  blankit  as  a  miminto  ov  the  fight, 
to  show  me  grandchildren.  Shure,  isn't  it  an  iJligaut  one, 
too?" 

In  fact,  we  often  thereafter  heard  Jimmy  relate  the  story 
of  his  desperate  hand-to-hand  encounter  with  the  Navajoes, 
and  how  valiantly  he  had  fought,  single-handed  and  alone, 
"all  the  rist  ov  the  party  bein'  aslape  at  the  toime; "  and  so 
frequently  did  he  relate  it,  that  after  a  while  he  really  came 
to  believe  it  himself,  and  if  either  of  us  ventured  to  con 
tradict  it  in  the  slightest  particular,  Jimmy  became  indig 
nant,  and  charged  us  "wid  thryiu*  to  stale  his  honor." 

An  hour  later,  we  found  that  the  Zunis  had  but  four 
men  killed,  with  two  men  and  one  woman  (Jimmy's  sweet 
heart)  missing,  and  in  addition  about  seven  hundred  head 
of  sheep  and  some  sixty  cattle  had  been  stolen. 

Four  Navajoes  and  ten  horses  were  found  upon  the  plain 


VOLUNTEERS.  381 

making  a  total  loss  to  the  Navajoes  of  six  men  and  four 
teen  horses. 

I  thought  it  strange  that  neither  of  the  Zunis  were 
scalped;  but  was  informed  by  the  cacique  that  the 
Navajoes  never  scalped  their  victims,  —  a  piece  of  informa 
tion  that  I  deemed  it  injudicious  to  impart  to  Jimmy,  as 
he  feared  the  loss  of  his  scalp  quite  as  much  as  any  mishap 
that  could  have  overtaken  him  in  the  country. 

Upon  observing  that  the  Zunis  were  fitting  out  a  party 
to  send  in  pursuit,  for  the  purpose  of  recapturing  the  stock, 
I  expressed  a  desire  to  Don  Rafael  to  join  it.  He  seemed 
so  well  pleased  that  I  mentioned  it  to  the  cacique,  who  was 
delighted  at  the  suggestion,  and  immediately  offered  us 
the  use  of  any  stock  in  the  pueblo  for  the  expedition. 

Thanking  him  for  his  kindness,  and  requesting  him  to 
send  animals  for  myself,  Don  Rafael,  and  Jimmy,  to  the 
camp,  we  departed  to  make  the  necessary  preparations. 

Upon  reaching  the  camp,  I  informed  Jimmy  that  we  had 
determined,  at  his  suggestion,  to  undertake  the  rescue  of  the 
"gurl,"  and  that  he  was  to  accompany  us  in  the  expedition. 

Jimmy's  reply  somewhat  surprised  us,  for  he  exclaimed: 

" And  what  wud  I  be  goin'  wid  yez  fur,  thin.  No  naed 
ov  iverybody  goiu'  afther  one  Injun  gurl." 

I  told  him  that  Doctor  Parker  would  remain  behind  in 
the  camp,  and  that  he  must  at  once  get  ready,  for  his  mule 
would  be  here  in  a  very  few  moments. 


382  JIMMY  PREFERS  HIS  SCALP; 

When  the  animal  came,  a  few  minutes  later,  we  found 
Jimmy  sitting  upon  the  wagon  tongue,  looking  the  very 
picture  of  desolation,  and  declaring  that  he  "filt  unwill;" 
indeed,  we  were  obliged  to  use  not  only  persuasions,  but 
threats,  to  induce  him  to  mount. 

No  sooner  did  the  mule  feel  Jimmy's  weight  upon  his 
back  than  he  commenced  to  "buck"  in  the  most  fearful 
manner,  so  that  before  he  had  an  opportunity  to  settle  him 
self  in  the  saddle,  he  found  himself  lying  upon  his  back, 
a,  long  distance  in  advance  of  his  animal. 

As  he  made  no  effort  to  rise  from  the  ground,  the  doctor 
approached  him,  and  found  him  lying  with  eyes  closed, 
breathing  heavily,  and  to  all  appearances  insensible. 

A  slight  examination  revealed  the  fact  that  Jimmy  was 
4 'playing  possum."  Winking  at  me,  the  doctor  remarked  in 
a  very  serious  manner:  "Well,  Judge,  Jimmy  is  done  for 
this  time,  I  guess;  he  won't  live  but  a  few  mbments."  My 
reply,  "Well,  send  that  Zuni  who  is  holding  those  horses 
here;  I  want  to  see  how  the  Zunis  scalp  a  man,"  brought 
Jimmy  to  his  feet  with  a  bound,  while  he  protested  "there 
wuz  nothin'  the  matther  wid  him,  fur  his  insinsability  wuz 
marely  timporary." 

After  many  earnest  protests,  Jimmy  was  induced  to  mount 
the  mule  once  again,  more  by  threats  than  arguments,  even 
though  he  told  us  "that  he'd  niver  live  to  rache  the  battle 
ground,  and  that  he'd  be  the  very  fust  man  shot  on  rach- 


AND  PROPHESYS.  383 

ing  it;  besides,  he  didn't  care  a  d — n  for  the  gurl,  but  wuz 
glad  she  wuz  gone,  and  he  didn't  want  to  be  the  manes  of 
bringin'  her  back  to  be  the  plig  of  his  life,  and  the 
manes  ov  gittin'  his  frinds  into  throuble  wid  the  bazaque." 

Notwithstanding  these  many  excuses,  he  finally  mounted 
again,  and  we  set  out  for  the  pueblo.  Upon  reaching  the 
plaza,  we  found  about  fifty  Zunis  assembled,  well  mounted 
and  hideously  painted. 

Upon  our  joining  the  party,  a  low,  guttural  exclamation 
of  satisfaction  was  uttered,  and  each  one  of  the  numbei 
insisted  upon  shaking  us  by  the  hand  in  the  most  cordial 
manner. 

All  this  so  delighted  Jimmy  that  he  quite  forgot  his 
piesentiment  of  evil;  and  I  heard  him  telling  a  group  of 
Ztinis,  in  a  loud  tone  of  voice,  of  the  wonderful  things 
they  should  "say  him  do  wid  his  shot  goon,"  notwithstand 
ing  he  was  perfectly  well  aware  of  the  fact  that  not  one  of 
tire  crowd  understood  a  word  that  he  said. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

PARDONABLE  curiosity  led  me  to  ascertain, 
if  possible,  the  status  of  our  party  as  to  fire 
arms.  Upon  asking  the  question,  I  was  re 
ferred  by  the  cacique  to  Don  Santiago,  the 
war-chief,  who  was  to  lead  the  expedition  in 
person. 

An  examination  revealed  the  fact  that  ten 
of  the  braves  were  armed  with  old  flint-lock  rifles,  of  the 
Mississippi  Yauger  pattern ;  two  with  horse-pistols,  of  anti 
quated  make;  and  the  rest  with  bows  and  arrows. 

Upon  learning  that  Don  Santiago  possessed  no  arms  save 
a  bow  and  arrow,  I  sent  Don  Rafael  to  camp  to  procure  Dr. 
Parker's  rifle,  which  I  loaned  to  the  chief,  much  to  his 
delight. 

Don  Rafael  and  myself  each  carried  rifles,  and  also 
revolvers;  while  Jimmy  clung  to  his  fowling-piece,  which, 
he  was  assuring  a  little  group  of  Zunis  who  were  curiously 

(384) 


THE  PURSUIT.  385 

examining   its   double  barrel,  "ud  kill  a  thousin   ov  thim 
divils  at  one  shot." 

It  was  about  nine  o'clock  when  we  left  the  pueblo,  after 
the  grand  ceremony  of  invocation  by  the  high-priest  and  his 
assistants;  and  as  we  started  out,  the  cacique  gravely  assured 
me  that  we  should  return  in  all  safety,  as  the  spirit  which 
had  been  invoked  would  effectually  protect  us. 

Leaving  the  town,  we  followed  a  trail  that  led  towards 
the  northwest,  in  which  direction  Don  Rafael  informed  me 
we  should  probably  come  upon  that  portion  of  the  Navajoe 
country  into  which,  without  doubt,  the  thieving  rascals  had 
driven  the  stock  captured  the  night  before. 

We  rode  swiftly  along,  as  our  animals  were  all  fresh;-  and 
the  Zunis,  with  their  bright  paint,  and  gayly-colored  ribbons 
fluttering  in  the  breeze,  gave  to  our  cavalcade  a  truly  pic 
turesque  and  brilliant  appearance. 

Occasionally  a  brave,  desirous  of  showing  the  superior 
mettle  of  his  charger,  or,  perchance,  his  own  elegant  horse 
manship,  with  a  shout  would  start  his  horse  into  a  run,  and, 
leaving  the  trail,  dash  wildly  over  the  plain,  to  be  followed 
by  half  a  score  of  others,  yelling  like  madmen,  or  now  and 
then  giving  utterance  to  a  fearful  war-whoop,  that  seemed  to 
act  as  an  inspiration  to  both  men  and  animajs. 
,  As  we  galloped  in  single  file  over  the  beautiful  green 
plain,  which  extended  for  miles  in  all  directions,  with  groves 
of  huge  pines  and  cedars  clustered  here  and  there  over  its 


386  INVOLUNTARY  GYMNASTICS. 

surface,  and  bounded  by  magnificent  ranges  of  lofty  moun 
tains,  whose  bases  seemed  to  consist  of  masses  of  foliage, 
fairly  black  in  its  density,  above  which  rose  their  rugged 
sides  of  gray,  while  an  occasional  peak,  standing  higher  than 
the  others,  would  lose  itself  in  the  fleecy  clouds  that  floated 
lazily  in  the  surrounding  ether,  —  even  Jimmy  seemed  to 
catch  the  esprit  de  corps  that  pervaded  the  party.  Turning 
his  mule  out  of  the  trail,  he  spurred  the  animal  into  a  run, 
and  swinging  his  hat  wildly  over  his  head,  gave  utterance  to 
a  loud  and  prolonged  Irish  yell,  as  he  started  to  follow  the 
braves  in  their  mad  career. 

Now,  whether  Jimmy's  mule  disliked  the  prospect  of  the 
violent  exercise  he  was  about  to  be  forced  into,  or  whether 
the  sound  of  the  Irish  yell  startled  him  out  of  his  usual 
degree  of  propriety,  I  cannot  say;  but  certain  it  is,  that 
Jimmy  had  scarcely  succeeded  in  persuading  him  to  leave 
the  trail  ere  he  planted  both  fore-feet  firmly  on  the  ground, 
and  lowering  his  head,  playfully  elevated  his  hind-feet,  thus 
inducing  Jimmy  to  turn  as  complete  a  somersault  as  it  was 
ever  my  fortune  to  see  turned,  in  connection  with  a  flying 
leap ;  for  he  struck  the  ground  nearly  ten  feet  in  advance  of 
the  animal,  who,  apparently  unconscious  that  he  had  aided 
in  the  performance  of  any  unusual  feat,  commenced  to  crop 
the  luxuriant  herbage  around  him. 

Notwithstanding  his  really  remarkable  performance,  Jim 
my  did  not  seem  to  be  at  all  proud  of  it;  nor,  after  rising, 


SUBDUED  JIMMY.  387 

did  he  approach  his  animal  as  "the  conquering  hero  comes,  '* 
but  rather  with  an  air  of  bashful  modesty,  that  was  hardly 
in  keeping  with  the  bravado  which  he  had  assumed  at  the 
outset,  when  assuring  the  Zunis  of  his  prowess. 

Seizing  the  animal's  bit  in  a  very  careful  manner,  while 
he  picked  up  his  fowling-piece  from  the  ground,  I  was 
amused  to  see  him  follow  the  cavalcade  in  the  most  humble 
spirit.  Reining  my  horse  out  from  the  trail,  I  waited  for 
him  to  come  up,  and  then  inquired  why  he  did  not  mount. 
His  disconsolate  reply,  that  he  "prefarred  to  wark,  on 
account  ov  the  ixercise  it  giv  him,"  caused  me  to  smile,  as 
I  remarked  that  he'd  get  along  faster  by  riding  the  animal, 
instead  of  leading  him. 

Jimmy's  reply  was  a  characteristic  one,  for  ho  said:  "Yiz, 
surr;  that's  jist  the  throble.  I  git  along  too  fast,  bedad; 
that's  what's  the  matther."  Nor  could  anything  I  might  say 
induce  him  to  remount. 

After  some  little  delay,  a  Zuni  offered  to  change  animals 
with  him,  and  we  once  more  proceeded  on  our  way. 

About  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  we  came  to  a  beau 
tiful  little  stream  of  clear  water,  where  it  was  evident  that 
the  Navajoes  had  tarried  long  enough  to  water  their  stock, 
for  their  tracks  seemed  to  be  quite  fresh;  and  the  Zuni 
who  acted  as  guide  to  our  party,  unhesitatingly  expressed 
the  opinion  that  they  had  passed  the  place  not  two  hours 
before. 


388  THE   ENEMY  SIGHTED. 

Pausing  here  only  long  enough  to  give  our  animals  a 
draught  of  the  cool,  refreshing  water,  we  pushed  on,  up  the 
valley  of  the  little  stream,  winding  through  a  rugged  and 
somewhat  broken  country,  towards  the  southern  portion  of 
what  was  then  recognized  as  the  Navajoe  country. 

Don  Rafael,  Jimmy,  and  myself  were  at  this  time  near 
the  head  of  the  column,  when  we  saw  the  guide,  who  had 
been  riding  far  in  advance,  spurring  his  horse  towards  UH 
at  a  furious  rate;  and  upon  coming  up,  he  informed  us  that 
he  had  found  the  stolen  sheep,  grazing  in  a  valley  about 
two  miles  ahead,  but  had  seen  no  Indians. 

In  a  moment  all  noise  ceased,  as  if  by  magic;  Don  Santi 
ago  hastily  giving  his  orders  in  a  quiet  but  determined 
tone  of  voifce. 

A  dozen  of  the  Zunis  were  dismounted,  and  sent  out  in 
different  directions  to  ascertain  the  numbers  and  situation 
of  the  foe.  Others  proceeded  to  string  their  bows,  arrange 
their  quivers,  and  settle  themselves  firmly  upon  their  ani 
mals,  when  the  order  to  move  cautiously  forward  was  given, 
Don  Santiago  informing  me  that  he  intended,  if  possible,  to 
surprise  the  Navajoes,  as  he  particularly  wished  to  recapture 
the  stock. 

Upon  looking  around,  just  after  we  had  commenced  our 
forward  movement,  I  was  surprised  to  see  Jimmy  sitting  on 
the  ground  beside  his  animal,  busily  engaged  in  contem 
plating  his  shoes. 


SURPRISED.  389 

Upon  riding  up  to  him,  I  said,  "Well,  Jimmy,  what 
nonsense  is  this;  do  you  want  to  be  left  behind?" 

"Be  gorra,"  said  Jimmy;  "would  ye  hev  a  mon  ridin' 
all  day  wid  sthones  in  his  shoes?" 

"No,  Jimmy,"  said  I;  "but  hurry  up,  for  I've  informed 
the  chief  that  you  are  going  to  take  upon  yourself  the  entire 
vesponsibility  of  the  rescue  of  the  girl." 

"But,"  said  Jimmy,  "will  yez  jist  ride  along  till  I'm 
ufther  gittin'  these  sthones  from  mi  shoes,  and  I'll  jine  yez 
in  a  viry  few  minutes." 

Not  desiring  to  have  him  remain  behind,  I  insisted  so 
strongly  upon  his  mounting  his  animal  and  accompanying 
me,  that  he  finally  did  so,  although  we  had  not  proceeded 
twenty  yards  before  he  dropped  his- gun.  This  recovered,  I 
saw  him  picking  up  his  hat  from  the  ground,  and  after  every 
other  means .  of  delay  seemed  exhausted,  he  deliberately 
stopped,  and  began  to  tighten  the  girths  to  his  saddle. 

Upon  remonstrating  with  him  for  these  frequent  and 
unnecessary  delays,  he  finally  said:  — 

"I'll  not  attimpt  the  riscue  ov  the  gurl  at  all;  and  I  don't 
care  a  d — n  if  she's  riscued  or  not;  and  I'm  not  faylin* 
will,  aither,  so  yez  naedn't  wait  fur  mi." 

Leaving  him,  I  rode  on,  and  overtaking  the  party,  heard 
that  the  scouts  had  been  in,  and  reported  the  sheep  and 
cattle  quietly  grazing  in  a  meadow  not  half  a  mile  from  us, 
and  that  Don  Santiago  had  distributed  his  men  so  as  to 


890  ITS   RESULT. 

completely  surround  the  valley,  ordering  them  to  wait  for  a 
signal  from  their  leader  before  showing  themselves  to  the 
foe. 

In  a  short  time  Don  Santiago  and  some  eight  or  ten  braves 
started  for  the  summit  of  the  bluff,  behind  which  the  stock 
had  been  seen,  while  Don  Rafael  and  myself  rode  slowly 
behind,  intending  to  remain  spectators  of  the  scene 

Having  ascertained  that  my  arm  was  so  sore  and  inflamed 
from  the  effects  of  the  wound  received  the  night  previous 
that  it  would  be  next  to  impossible  for  me  to  use  my  carbine, 
I  had  loaned  it  to  a  bright-looking  young  Zuni  who  was  act 
ing  as  aid  to  Don  Santiago,  and  whom  Don  Rafael  kindly 
instructed  in  its  use. 

Upon  reaching  the  summit  of  the  bluff  aforesaid,  Don 
Santiago  and  his  little  band  uttered  the  Zuni  war-whoop, 
which  was  instantly  answered  from  a  dozen  different  points ; 
and  putting  their  horses  into  a  run,  they  dashed  down  the 
sides  of  the  valley,  yelling  like  madmen,  and  frantically 
brandishing  their  bows  and  arrows  in  the  air,  while  the 
stock,  apparently  paralyzed  by  the  sight  and  sounds,  hud 
dled  themselves  together  in  a  terrified  manner  near  the  foot 
of  the  bluff  on  which  we  were  standing. 

We  were  in  time  to  see  about  a  dozen  Navajoes,  mounted 
upon  magnificent  horses,  and  clothed  in  gayly-striped  blan 
kets,  which  seemed  to  be  flying  loosely  behind  them,  hur 
riedly  betaking  themselves  up  the  side  of  a  bluff  that  seemed 


A  HALT.  391 

to  bound  the  valley  on  the  north,  pursued  by  about  a  dozen 
Zimis,  whom  we  thought  could  have  but  little  chance  of 
overtaking  them,  on  account  of  the  very  inferior  character 
of  the  animals  upon  which  they  were  mounted. 

Hiding  up  to  speak  with  us  for  a  moment,  Don  Santiago 
informed  us  that  the  surprise  was  a  complete  one;  that 
they  had  recaptured  all  the  stock,  which  had  been  left  in 
charge  of  a  portion  of  the  thieves  while  the  remainder 
had  undoubtedly  taken  the  prisoners  by  a  shorter  and  more 
direct  route;  that  he  and  a  few  braves  would  join  the 
pursuing  party,  and  make  an  expedition  into  the  Navajoe 
country;  and  that  the  remainder  of  his  party  would  return 
with  the  recaptured  stock  to  the  pueblo. 

As  I  was  not  prepared  to  make  a  campaign  into  the  heart 
of  the  Navajoe  country,  I  decided  to  return;  upon  which 
Don  Rafael  and  myself  turned  our  horses'  heads  in  the 
direction  of  the  pueblo,  and  rode  on  in  advance  of  the 
party. 

Upon  reaching  the  stream  that  we  had  crossed  some  hours 
before,  Don  Rafael  removed  the  saddles  and  bridles  from 
our  weary  animals,  and  permitted  them  to  enjoy  a  roll  in 
the  luxuriant  meadow,  before  making  a  hearty  meal  upon 
the  rich  grass  so  abundant  around  them,  — during  which 
time  Don  Rafael  and  myself  enjoyed  our  lunch  with  much 
gusto.  While  encamped  here,  Jimmy  rode  up  looking  as 
though  he  felt  very  much  ashamed  of  himself,  and  most 


392  A  SUN-STROKE. 

dolefully  bewailing  the  day  that  "he'd  ivir  consintid  to  jine 
in  an  expidition  to  attimpt  to  rejuce  the  Navajoes,"  loudly 
complaining  that  the  fatigue  and  warm  weather  were  "anuf 
ter  kill  a  mule,"  and  saying  "that  he  should  have  remained 
wid  us  all  the  toime,  hadn't  he  bin  complately  prosthrated 
by  the  ifficts  of  a  sun-sthroke,"  from  which,  however,  he 
had  then  most  happily  recovered,  if  we  might  be  allowed 
to  form  an  opinion  from  the  facility  he  displayed  in  con 
cealing  the  provisions  spread  before  him. 

The  sun  was  fast  sinking  in  the  western  skies  when 
Don  Rafael  again  resaddled  our  horses,  and  we  once  more 
resumed  the  journey  towards  our  camp,  pushing  on  at  a 
rate  of  speed  pronounced  by  Jimmy  to  be  "most  fataygin," 
and  who  begged  in  piteous  tones  to  be  "lift  behind."  not 
withstanding  the  fact  that  he  managed  to  keep  right 
in  front  all  the  time. 

The  moon  had  risen  high  in  the  heavens  when  we  espied 
our  little  camp,  nestled  so  quietly  beneath  its  bright  beams, 
under  the  grim,  brown  walls  of  Zuni;  and  it  was  a  sight 
that  filled  my  heart  with  gladness,  while  Jimmy  asserted 
that  "it  wuz  dearer  to  his  eyes  than  would  have  bin  ould 
Father  O 'Brady,  his  own  parish  praste." 

My  arm  was  dressed  by  the  doctor,  and  I  was  soon  in  my 
blankets;  nor  did  I  open  my  eyes  again  until  the  next 
noon,  when  the  doctor  awakened  me  to  say  that  the  Zunis 
had  arrived  with  the  recaptured  stock. 


THE  BRAVE  MAN'S  DANCE.  393 

About  two  o'clock  we  visited  the  pueblo  to  find  the  people 
rejoicing  over  the  safe  return  of  their  braves,  with  all  the 
stock  that  had  been  stolen  by  the  Navajoes;  for  it  seemed 
to  be  generally  taken  for  granted  that  the  remainder  of  the 
party  would  return  in  safety,  as  Don  Santiago  was  a  most 
successful  leader. 

Doctor  Parker  was  a  little  anxious  about  his  rifle;  but 
when  informed  that  mine  was  in  company  with  his  own, 
he  seemed  much  easier  in  his  mind,  and  accepted  the  invi 
tation  the  cacique  gave  us  to  be  present  at  the  dance  that 
evening,  with  which  the  braves,  who  had  returned  from 
the  expedition,  were  to  celebrate  their  success. 

About  nine  o'clock  that  evening,  we  all  wended  our  way 
to  the  pueblo,  to  .see  the  "brave  man's  dance,"  — resem 
bling  a  good,  old-fashioned  Yankee  caucus,  where  each  can 
didate  is  permitted  to  state  in  detail  the  particular  claims 
he  possesses  for  a  nomination,  more  closely  than  any  gather 
ing  I  had  ever  attended  outside  of  New  England. 

It  was  a  beautiful  night.  The  moon,  just  rising,  lent  its 
pale  light,  so  effectually  illuminating  the  scene  that  every 
object  in  the  large  plaza  was  distinctly  visible,  without  the 
aid  of  the  light  from  the  bright  fire  which  was  burning  near 
its  centre. 

Four  large  cedar  stakes,  elaborately  carved,  had  been  set 
in  the  ground  at  each  of  the  cardinal  points,  representing  the 
four  Zunis  who  had  lost  their  lives  in  defending  the  pueblo. 
50 


394  SYMBOLICAL. 

To  each  stake  were  attached  four  feathers  of  the  eagle, 
four  of  the  turkey,  four  of  the  duck,  and  four  of  the  crow. 

Those  of  the  eagle  were  supposed  to  be  typical  of  the 
gallantry  and  daring  of  the  braves  who  had  so  valiantly 
defended  the  pueblo.  The  turkey  feathers  served  to 
remind  them  that  the  Great  Spirit  always  regarded  his 
children  with  love,  and  ever  stood  ready  to  exercise  over 
them  his  protecting  care,  in  proof  of  which  he  had  sent 
them  corn  and  wheat  by  the  turkey  when  they  were  hungry. 
The  duck,  being  a  water  fowl,  and  under  the  protecting 
care  of  the  Spirit  of  the  Spring,  reminded  them  that  he 
would  guard  their  characters  from  the  « 'forked  tongues"  of 
their  enemies,  even  as  the  Great  Spirit  most  beneficently 
exercised  his  protecting  care  over  their  lives.  The  feathers 
of  the  crow,  being  black,  represented  to  them  the  hearts 
of  their  foes,  over  whom  they  had  so  signally  and  gloriously 
triumphed. 

At  the  sound  of  the  tornbe,*  the  warriors,  to  the  number 
of  thirty,  hideously  painted  and  gayly  ornamented,  entered 
the  plaza  with  slow  and  measured  step,  marching  towards 
the  north  corner.  Here  they  paused  for  a  few  moments, 

*  A  section  of  hollow  log,  about  two  feet  long,  and  from  sixteen  to  eighteen 
inches  in  diameter.  Over  one  end  of  it  is  stretched  a  dried  hide,  from 
which  the  hair  has  been  carefully  removed.  It  is  sounded  with  a  stick,  sirni. 
lar  to  that  used  in  beating  a  bass  drum,  and  produces  a  most  terrific  sound, 
which  can  be  heard  for  miles  on  a  still  night. 


ZUNI  MODESTY.  395 

their  faces  all  turned  towards  the  north,  and  indulged  in  a 
series  of  gyrations,  expressive  of  the  contempt  they  felt 
for  their  foes.  This  completed,  they  made  the  entire  circuit 
of  the  plaza  four  times,  after  which  they  approached  the 
fire  which  was  brightly  burning  near  the  centre  of  the 
square. 

Here  they  halted,  and  the  oldest  of  the  warriors  took  a 
position  in  front  of  the  fire,  between  the  two  stakes  that 
pointed  towards  the  section  of  the  country  from  which  the 
enemy  came.  The  rest  of  the  braves,  after  forming  a  circle 
round  the  fire,  commenced  a  low,  monotonous  chant,  as  the 
prelude  to  a  dance,  during  which  they  indulged  in  the  most 
eccentric  and  uncouth  motions,  interspersed  with  low,  gut 
tural  exclamations  of  satisfaction. 

The  orator  all  this  time  was  occupying  the  centre  of 
this  magic  circle,  narrating,  in  a  loud  tone  of  voice,  and 
with  most  extravagant  gesticulations,  his  various  feats  of 
arms. 

He  told  of  the  number  of  enemies  whose  manly  forms 
had  been  hurled  to  the  dust  by  the  prowess  of  his  own  good 
right  arm;  of  their  age,  wisdom,  position,  and  rank;  of 
the  grief  of  those  who  had  mourned  their  loss,  and  the 
sorrow  and  misery  which  their  tribe  had  felt  at  their  death. 
Then  he  rehearsed,  by  pantomime,  the  attack,  the  defence, 
the  struggle,  the  death,  and  the  final  triumph;  after  which 
he  burst  forth  into  a  sort  of  chant,  or  paean  of  praise  to 


396  JIMMY'S    COMMENTS. 

himself,  which  he  recited  in  a  high,  falsetto  voice,  and  in  the 
most  extravagant  and  ferocious  manner,  ending  by  an 
appeal  to  each  brave  in  the  circle  to  substantiate  his  state 
ment;  till,  as  Jimmy  facetiously  remarked,  "B'  gorra,  yer'd 
jist  think  the  mon  wuz  atin'  thim,  wouldn't  yer,  docther?" 

After  the  braves  had  separately  assured  him  that  every 
word  he  had  uttered  was  truth,  that  he  neither  spoke  with 
a  ''forked  tongue,"  or  babbled  like  a  woman,  but,  on  the 
contrary,  had  spoken  like  a  brave,  and  that  the  slain  of  his 
enemies  were  more  numerous  than  the  fallen  leaves  of  the 
forest,  he  retired  from  his  position,  with  the  air  of  a  con 
quering  hero,  giving  place  to  the  next  oldest  brave,  who 
recounted,  in  his  turn,  his  deeds  of  valor,  and  the  distin 
guished  part  he  had  borne  in  the  fray ;  and  after  receiving 
the  same  assurances  as  had  his  predecessor,  and  with  quite 
as  much  satisfaction  to  himself,  he  retired,  and  gave  place 
to  a  third ;  and  thus  the  dance  went  on  until  each  brave  had 
enjoyed  the  opportunity  thus  offered  to  relate  to  his  own 
satisfaction  a  history  of  his  many  valiant  deeds  and  gallant 
bearing. 

In  short,  the  "brave  man's  dance"  proved  to  be  the  as 
sembling  together  of  a  body  of  Indians  who  evidently  be 
longed  to  a  "mutual  admiration  society,"  and  their  proceed 
ings  soon  grew  so  tiresome  that  none  of  us  save  Jimmy 
cared  to  remain  longer,  especially  as  we  could  not  discover 
that  any  provision  had  been  made  for  us  to  tell  of  the  fields 


CONGEATULA  TIONS .  397 

we  had  won;  so  we  retired  to  camp,  and  to  bed.  I  lay  for 
more  than  an  hour  listening  to  the  sound  of  the  tombe,  ac 
companied  by  the  clear,  ringing  voices  of  the  braves  as  they 
recounted  their  exploits,  until  its  monotony  lulled  me  int  > 
a  sound  slumber,  from  which  I  did  not  awake  until  the  day 
was  far  advanced. 

Breakfast  over,  the  doctor  and  myself,  after  lighting  our 
pipes,  talked  over  the  events  of  the  past  few  days,  and   de 
cided  that  they  afforded  reason  for  congratulation  in  that,  at 
least,  we  had  effectually  gotten  rid  of  Jimmy's  Zimi  sweet 
heart,  and  thus  escaped  the  annoyances  and  vexations  that 
might  have  ensued  had  she  remained  in  the  peublo.     Our 
experience  at  both  Acoma  and  Zuni  had  convinced  us  that  it 
would  have  been  a  difficult  task  to  prevent  Jimmy,  with  his 
lamentable    susceptibility,  from    contracting  a  •"mathrimo- 
niahl  alliance,"  had  not  the  girl  so  providentially  been  re 
moved  from  our  immediate  vicinity ;   and  as  we  were  to  start 
on  our  return  to  the  Rio  Grande  the   following   morning r 
provided  the  Zunis  should  get  back  with  our  rifles,  we  did 
not  anticipate  that  Jimmy,  in  the  short  time  that  remained 
of  our  stay,  would  discover  any  new  object  upon  which  to 
lavish  the  "wilth  of  his  affictions,"  and  there  was  no  proba 
bility  that  Don  Santiago  would  succeed  in  recapturing  the 
"gurl,"  who    by  this   time  was  far  in  the  interior  of  the 
Navajoe  country. 

No  one  having  intimated  to  us  that  any  suspicion  rested 


398  NOT  OUT  OF  THE    WOODS. 

upon  Jimmy  as  being  in  the  slightest  degree  instrumental 
in  the  girl's  capture,  we  had  allowed  ourselves  to  believe 
that  his  agency  in  the  matter  was  unknown  to  any  one  save  our 
selves.  Imagine,  then,  our  surprise  at  being  disturbed  in 
the  midst  of  our  reflections  by  the  appearance  of  the  ca 
cique  himself,  dressed  in  his  robes  of  office,  accompanied 
by  two  of  the  most  woe-begone,  dilapidated-looking  speci 
mens  of  Zuni  manhood  we  had  yet  seen.  Their  faces  were 
daubed  with  mud  and  ochre  pigment,  their  clothing  perfectly 
filthy,  and  resembling  in  quantity  the  original  fig-leaf  pat 
tern.  With  these  two  braves  was  a  woman,  whom  I  at  once 
recognized  as  the  mother  of  the  girl  from  whom  $had  taken 
Jimmy's  presents.  I  immediately  arose,  and  proffering  the 
cacique  a  seat,  asked  to  what  fortunate  occurrence  we  were 
indebted  for  the  honor  of  a  visit ;  for  I  had  learned  enough 
of  the  manners  and  customs  of  the  Zunis  to  know  that 
when  the  cacique  paid  a  visit  dressed  in  his  robes  of  office, 
it  meant  business. 

Seating  himself  upon  the  proffered  stool,  and  drawing 
his  elegantly  embroidered  blanket  more  closely  around  him, 
he  turned  to  me  with  great  dignity,  and  stated  that  he 
desired  a  few  moments'  conversation  with  our  Don  San 
tiago  (meaning  Jimmy). 

I  have  rarely  seen  a  more  interesting  study  than  was 
Jimmy's  countenance,  when  informed  by  Don  Rafael  that 
the  cacique  desired  his  presence. 


JIMMY  ARRAIGNED.  399 

A  man  about  to  receive  sentence  of  transportation  for 
life,  or  of  death  at  the  hands  of  Judge  Lynch,  could  not 
have  appeared  more  hopelessly  bewildered  than  did  Jimmy 
at  this  summons;  and  for  a  moment  I  really  expected  to 
see  him  turn,  and  ignominiously  run  for  the  plain. 

Not  so,  however.  Jimmy  was  created  of  sterner  stuff. 
Having  made  up  his  mind  to  meet  the  issue,  he  approached 

the  cacique  with  the  air  of  a  man    determined  to  bear  his 
i 

fate  like  a  hero;  just  such  an  air  as  I  fancy  the  lamented 
John  Rogers  wore,  who  was  burned  at  the  stake  in 
Smithneld,  England,  as  he  bade  adieu  to  his  "wife  with 
nine  small  children,  and  one  at  the  breast." 

In  one  thing  Jimmy  possessed  a  decided  advantage.  The 
cacique  was  obliged  to  talk  through  an  interpreter,  and 
that  interpreter  was,  perforce,  Don  Rafael,  Jimmy's  friend, 
who  knew  just  enough  of  diplomacy  to  shape  his  replies 
so  as  to  please  the  ear  of  the  august  personage  in  whose 
presence  we  were. 

As  no  one  but  ourselves  knew  aught  of  the  moonlight 
stroll,  the  interview  must  have  reference  to  the  presents  that 
Jimmy  had  so  inconsiderately  given  the  "gurl,"  and  which 
I  had  required  her  to  return ;  or  perhaps  to  the  draught  that 
Jimmy  had  quaffed,  in  the  presence  of  the  cacique  himself, 
from  the  Sacred  Spring.  In  the  latter  case,  we  could  not 
calculate  with  certainty  the  result  of  the  investigation  which 
it  was  very  evident  was  about  to  be  instituted;  but  if  the 


400 


THE    CHARGE. 


former  was  the  cause,  I  relied  upon  my  own  ability  to  sat 
isfactorily  explain  the  circumstances. 

Taking  this  view  of  the  subject,  imagine  our  surprise  to 
hear  the  cacique  turn  to  Don  Rafael,  and  say:  — 

* 'These  men  with   me  are   the   uncles   of   this   woman's 


GUILTY,  OE   NOT   GUILTY? 

daughter,  and  charge  Santiago,  there,  with  enticing  her 
from  her  home,  upon  the  night  that  it  was  supposed  she 
was  captured  by  the  Navajoes.  The  braves  who  returned 
from  the  Navajoe  country  this  morning  brought  with  them 
a  prisoner,  one  who  was  with  the  party  that  made  the  raid 


THE   PLEA.  401 

upon  the  Pueblo.  This  prisoner  states  that  the  party 
captured  no  female  whatever,  and  did  not  even  see  the 
girl.  I  have  come  here  to  see  you  at  their  request,  to  ask 
Santiago  what  became  of  the  girl  with  whom  he  was  walk 
ing  that  night!" 

1  was  thunderstruck.  The  whole  thing  was  no  secret, 
known  not  only  to  the  girl's  relations,  but  to  the  cacique 
himself.  What  would  be  the  result!  How  was  it  all  to  end? 

While  Don  Rafael  was  interpreting  the  above  speech  to 
him,  I  carefully  watched  Jimmy's  face,  to  ascertain  if  pos 
sible  the  result  of  the  request,  so  politely  made,  upon  him, 
but  he  betrayed  no  uneasiness,  nor  did  he  seem  in  the 
least  disturbed  by  the  situation. 

I  don't  think  I  have  ever  been  able  to  correctly  ana 
lyze  my  feelings,  upon  hearing  Jimmy,  for  a  reply  to  the 
above  direct  interrogatory,  so  clearly  propounded  by  the 
cacique,  as  directly  and  positively  deny  that  he  was  with  or 
saw  the  girl  upon  the  night  in  question ;  while  at  the  same 
time  he  asserted  that  he  was  not  only  in  camp  during 
the  entire  night,  out  was  "figthin'  the  divils  all  the  time, 
right  'long  side  ov  the  gintilmin  there,"  pointing  to  the 
doctor  and  myself,  to  whom  he  appealed  to  corroborate  the 
statement. 

Here  was  a  dilemma:  unfortunately  the  close  resemblance 
I  bear  to  the  great  and  good  G.  W.  (a  resemblance  recog 
nized  only  by  myself)  has  always  prevented  me  from  lying; 
51 


402  THE   CACIQUE'S  JUDGMENT. 

while  to  state  the  truth  would  only  consign  Jimmy  to  the 
rigor  of  a  Zimi  prison.  I  therefore  determined  to  leave  the 
doctor  to  explain  matters  as  best  he  might. 

While  in  this  state  of  uncertainty  and  doubt  as  to  what 
could  be  said,  I  was  still  more  confounded  to  hear  the 
cacique,  after  listening  to  Don  Rafael's  explanation  of 
Jimmy's  most  barefaced  assertion,  say  to  the  men,  after  a 
moment's  pause,  "Well,  you  have  heard  what  Santiago 
says.  I  told  you  before  that  this  thing  was  impossible. 
He  was  here  in  camp,  fighting  bravely  by  the  side  of  his 
friends,  against  our  enemies.  He  says  so,  his  friends  say 
so,  and  it  must  be  so,  for  the  white  men  do  not  tell  lies. " 

A  statement  that  I  am  sure  the  reader  will  sustain  me  in 
attributing  entirely  to  the  old  man's  ignorance  of  the  "white 
man's"  character,  as  well  as  of  the  customs  prevailing  among 
them.  I  did  not  attempt  to  dispel  this  charming  illusion 
that  the  old  man's  fancy  had  conjured  up,  for  I  thought,  at 
that  time,  at  least,  that,  — 

"  Where  ignorance  is  bliss,  'tis  folly  to  be  wise." 

After  addressing  a  few  words  of  reproof  to  the  men  for 
the  presumption  they  had  evinced  in  making  so  preposterous 
a  charge  against  the  "brave  Santiago,"  the  cacique,  in  :he 
most  peremptory  manner,  bade  them  begone,  and  never  n.ore 
refer  to  the  subject  upon  pain  of  incurring  his  serious  dis 
pleasure.  Upon  which  the  whole  party  arose,  and  slowly  left 


CENSURE.  403 

the  camp,  looking  anything  but  pleased  at  the  result  of  the 
interview,  and  without  doubt  quite  as  much  surprised  as 
were  the  doctor  and  myself. 

The  party  gone,  the  cacique  turned  to  me,  and  said  he  was 
"indeed  glad  for  Santiago's  sake  that  the  matter  had  been 
so  satisfactorily  explained,  for  the  brutes  had  even  had  the 
impudence  to  say,  after  they  had  learned  that  the  girl  had 
not  been  captured  by  the  Navajoes,  that  Santiago  had 
secreted  her  for  the  purpose  of  carrying  her  with  him 'to  his 
home  on  the  Bravo,  as  he  called  the  Eio  Grande. 

To  Jimmy,  who  had  been  standing  by,  and  most  anxiously 
waiting  to  learn  the  subject-matter  of  the  conversation,  I 
briefly  stated  the  latter  part  of  the  cacique's  communication, 
which  drew  'from  him  the  most  positive  and  earnest  denial 
of  the  entire  charge,  to  which  I  listened  as  patiently  as  pos 
sible.  I  then  told  him  that  he  need  never  expect  me  to  place 
any  confidence  in  any  statement  he  should  make  in  the 
future,  for  after  hearing  his  denial  of  the  cacique's  charge, 
I  was  satisfied  that  he  would  rather  lie  than  do  anything  else ; 
an  opinion  that  the  doctor  fully  corroborated,  after  reflecting 
upon  the  difficulty  which  frequently  accompanied  his  exer 
tions  at  rousing  Jimmy  in  the  morning. 

After  listening  to  my  remarks,  Jimmy  coolly  asked, — 

" An*  is  it  thro'  I  am  wid  all  this?" 

I  said,  "Yes,  for  the  present."  Upon  which  he  turned 
away,  apparently  quite  delighted  at  the  thought  that  he  had 


404  INJURED   INNOCENCE. 

succeeded  in  lying  himself  out  of  the  difficulty;  muttering, 
as  he  went,  "that  'twas  a  dirthy  thing  for  thim  lyin'  Nava- 
joes  to  thry  an'  injure  his  caracture  by  decavin'  the  good 
old  bazaque,"  and  intimating  that  in  case  he  should  "ivir 
mate  one  ov  'em,  he'd  tache  him  bitther  manners  than  to  be 
spakin'  disrespictful,  or  makin'  insinooations  respictin'  him 
to  the  bazaque." 

I  was  amused  to  hear  Don  Rafael  slyly  remind  Jimmy 
that  he  met  one  alone  the  other  evening,  and  unfortunately 
neglected  to  give  him  any  lesson  at  that  time. 

To  which  suggestion,  he  replied, — 

"That  he  didn't  know  at  that  time  that  the  dirthy  divil'd 
bin  lyin'  about  him.  or  he'd  a  given'  him  a  taste  ov  a  swate 
bit  ov  shillalah  that  viry  avenin. " 

Here  we  were  interrupted  by  the  appearance  of  Don  San 
tiago  and  his  aid,  who,  after  saluting  the  cacique  and  our 
selves,  respectfully  returned  our  rifles,  with  many  thanks 
for  the  kindness  that  had  prompted  the  loan.  They  had 
found  the  Navajoes  so  much  better  mounted  than  them 
selves,  that  with  the  advantage  they  had  in  the  start  it  would 
have  been  quite  impossible  to  have  overtaken  them  before 
they  had  reached  the  very  heart  of  the  Navajoe  country ;  and 
he  did  not  deem  it  advisable  with  his  small  force,  to  pursue 
them  to  their  stronghold.  Consequently  he  had  returned 
without  any  information  concerning  the  prisoners,  who  would 
undoubtedly  be  offered  for  ransom  before  many  moons. 


SMILES.  405 

Nor  did  we  ever  afterwards  hear  from  the  girl;  although 
I  have  no  doubt  that  she  was  finally  ransomed  by  her  rela 
tives,  and  returned  to  the  pueblo,  to  learn  of  the  wickedness 
and  duplicity  of  her  Santiago,  as  well  as  to  refute  the 
theory  of  the  good  old  cacique,  "that  white  men  tell  no 
lies." 

Under  the  circumstances,  I  felt  that  I  could  not  do  less 
than  produce  the  demijohn, —  a  movement  that  caused  all 
parties  the  greatest  satisfaction;  and  many  were  the  excla 
mations  of  delight  caused  by  the  skilful  manner  in  which 
the  doctor's  concoctions  were  mixed;  while  the  good  old 
cacique  smiled  frequently,  and  enlarged  most  generously 
upon  his  friendship  for  "los  Americanos,"  seemingly  but 
too  happy  that  his  "lines  had  been  cast  in  such  pleasant 
places,"  as  he  glowingly  depicted  to  Don  Santiago  the 
bravery  that  his  namesake  (Jimmy)  had  shown  in  repulsing 
the  attack  made  upon  our  camp,. until  he  finally  ended  by 
asserting  that  he  "did  not  doubt  but  the  two  Santiagos  had 
together  been  the  means  of  routing  and  putting  to  flight  the 
entire  Navajoe  force,"  a  statement  that,  while  it  caused 
considerable  amusement,  convinced  us  that  Jimmy  had 
exalted  "his  honor"  to  good  purpose,  as  far  as  the  Zunis 
were  concerned. 

From  a  consideration  of  Jimmy's  brave  deeds,  the  con 
versation  drifted  towards  the  bravery  of  the  Zunis ;  and  the 
cacique  recounted  many  of  the  legends  concerning  his  an- 


406  AN  EXPEDITION. 

cestors,  of  the  intrepidity  and  courage  shown  by  them  in 
resisting  the  attacks  of  the  Spaniards  as  well  as  of  the  Apa 
ches  and  Navajoes;  until,  warming  with  the  subject,  he  in 
sisted  upon  accompanying  and  showing  me  the  very  spot 
where  the  attack  had  been  made  by  Coronado's  army,  and 
which  had  so  nearly  proved  fatal  to  that  great  chief. 

The  old  man  seemed  so  anxious  that  we  should  once  more 
visit  the  site  of  old  Zuni,  and  in  his  company,  that  the 
doctor  and  myself,  nothing  loth  to  again  witness  its  beauties, 
accepted  the  invitation,  only  requiring  that  the  visit  should 
'be  paid  during  the  afternoon,  as  on  the  morrow  we  had 
determined  to  start  for  the  Rio  Grande. 

Expressing  his  regrets'  at  our  hasty  departure,  with 
many  assurances  of  his  respect  and  good-will,  the  old  man 
left  us,  promising  to  call  for  us  later  in  the  afternoon. 

Dinner  over,  we  informed  Jimmy  of  our  intention,  strictly 
enjoining  upon  him  the  necessity  of  remaining  in  camp 
during  our  absence,  as  well  as  expressly  forbidding  him  to 
receive  or  entertain  any  visitors,  to  each  of  which  injunc 
tions  Jimmy  promised  the  most  implicit  obedience. 

It  was  late  in  the  afternoon  when  we  started,  in  company 
with  the  cacique,  to  view  the  place  which  three  hundred  and 
twenty  years  before  a  little  handful  of  Spaniards  had  so  gal 
lantly  assaulted  and  carried  by  storm, —  the  ancient  city  of 
Cibola,  where,  as  the  cacique  informed  us,  the  Zunis  had  won 
a  name  for  themselves  that  would  never  be  forgotten. 


RETROSPECTION.  407 

Passing  the  "Sacred  Spring,"  and  down  through  the  nar 
row  rocky  gorge  at  the  foot  of  the  mesa,  we  commenced  to 
climb  the  steep  and  rugged  path  that  led  to  the  height 
above  us. 

We  made  our  first  halt  upon  a  terrace,  or  ledge,  about  two 
hundred  and  fifty  feet  above  the  plain.  Around  the  outer 
edge  of  this  terrace  formerly  had  been  constructed  a  wall  of 
rock,  traces  of  which  were  plainly  discernible,  and  must 
have  afforded  complete  protection  against  any  assaulting 
party,  so  perfectly  did  it  command  the  only  means  of  ap 
proach.  Indeed,  it  seemed  to  us  that  a  dozen  men  might 
have  successfully  held  it  against  a  thousand. 

Standing  upon  the  narrow  ledge,  scarcely  ten  feet  in 
width,  the  old  man  depicted  in  glowing  terms  the  contest, 
and  told  us  how  they  had  hurled  great  rocks  from  the 
wall  upon  the  heads  of  the  invaders  of  their  homes ;  how  the 
great  chief  himself  had  been  felled  to  the  earth  by  one  of 
them,  and  of  blood  flowing  like  water. 

Indeed,  the  old  man  seemed  never  to  tire  of  the  subject; 
and  as  we  slowly  made  our  way  up  the  difficult  path,  listen 
ing  to  the  earnest  and  impressive  traditions  regarding  the 
yalor  of  his  ancestors,  I  could  but  sympathize  with  him 
when  he  said,  "The  Zunis  were  a  happy  and  prosperous 
people  until  the  Spaniards  came  among  them;  tney  warred 
for  the  protection  of  their  homes  and  for  the  honor  of  their 
women,  it  is  true,  but  the  strife  was  never  of  their  OWD 


408  THE  SACRED  FLAME. 

seeking;*  they  only  fought  when  obliged  to;  then  they 
fought  honestly,  man  to  man;  there  was  no  nation  that 
could  stand  against  the  Zunis. 

Montezuma  had  protected  them  since  the  creation  of  the 
earth.  Had  he  not  instructed  them  how  to  manufacture 
their  own  clothing;  to  raise  their  food  out  of  the  ground;  to 
raise  flocks  and  herds;  to  build  houses  to  live  in?  Were 
they  not  more  prosperous  than  the  wild  tribes  who  wandered 
over  the  country,  but  to  destroy  and  lay  waste  ? 

They  had  always  prospered  until  the  Spaniards  came. 
Then  all  was  changed.  From  the  day  that  those  people 
came,  they  had  been  cursed. 

Montezuma  no  longer  regarded  them  with  his  former  love  j 
the  Spaniards  had  made  his  heart  cold  towards  them:  but 
the  Great  Spirit  would  again  kindle  the  flame  in  his  heart. 
It  must  be  a  punishment  that  he  had  sent  upon  them,  because 
they,  his  children,  had  permitted  the  sacred  flame  to  burn 
dimly  that  he  had  kindled  with  his  own  hands  upon  the 
altar  of  their  estufas;  but  they  relied  upon  the  promise 
he  had  made  them,  that  he  would  one  day  return  and  lead 
them  as  of  old  —  for  was  not  Montezuma  the  very  embodi 
ment  of  truth? 

In  this  garrulous,  simple  manner  the  old  man  entertained 

*A  statement  not  confirmed  by  Coronado's  report  of  the  condition  in 
which  he  found  the  adjoining  kingdoms  in  1540.  See  Coronado's  report  to 
the  Emperor  Charles  V. 


WE  ASCEND  A  THOUSAND  FEET.  409 

us  as  we  toiled  up  the  steep,  precipitous  sides  of  the  mesa, 
enchaining  our  attention  so  completely  that  we  gave  heed 
to  but  little  else,  and  had  actually  ascended  the  highest 
of  the  three  terraces  before  I  was  aware  that  we  were 
standing  upon  a  narrow  shelf  scarcely  twelve  inches  in 
width,  although  eight  hundred  feet  above  the  plain. 

When  I  at  length  realized  the  fact,  I  was  indeed  startled 
at  the  novel  and  perilous  situation  in  which  we  found  our 
selves;  nor  were  my  fears  in  the  least  allayed  by  noticing 
the  nervous  and  excited  manner  with  which  Don  Kafael, 
who  seemed  ever  on  the  alert  for  our  safety,  called  our  at 
tention  to  the  fast-growing  darkness,  as  he  urged  us  to  at 
once  commence  the  descent. 

Upon  our  left  was  a  huge  wall  of  rock  and  earth,  towering 
nearly  three  hundred  feet  above  our  heads,  and  apparently 
so  smooth  as  not  to  afford  footing  for  a  living  creature, 
while  upon  our  right  for  nearly  eight  hundred  feet  below 
was  empty  space. 

The  dizzy  height  at  which  we  stood,  the  narrow  path 
before  us,  the  vast  abyss  below,  the  growing  darkness, 
the  danger  of  the  descent,  all  seemed  to  have  been  forgotten 
in  the  desire  to  hear  the  old  man,  who  still  kept  on  in  his 
low  monotone,  utterly  oblivious  of  everything  save  the 
Zunis  and  their  history;  when,  carelessly  stepping  upon  a 
small  stone  which  rolled  under  my  foot,  .before  I  could 
possibly  recover  myself  I  was  precipitated  over  the  bluff, 
52 


410  A  TERRIBLE  FALL. 

and  in  a  moment  found  myself  sliding  down  its  almost  per 
pendicular  side,  feet  foremost. 

In  the  twinkling  of  an  eye  I  was  far  beyond  the  reach  of 
my  companions,  who,  upon  hearing  the  noise  made  by  my 
fall,  turned  towards  me,  and  stood  aghast,  but  powerless  to 
aid  me.  My  first  thought  was,  that  I  should  be  dashed  to 
pieces  upon  the  rocks  at  the  foot  of  the  bluff;  the  next,  that 
I  might  possibly  manage  to  save  myself  upon  one  of  the 
terraces  beneath. 

All  this  time  I  was  acquiring  greater  momentum,  until  it 
seemed  as  though  I  was  fairly  flying  into  the  very  arms  of 
the  horrible  death  which  stood  staring  me  so  steadily  in  the 
face.  Not  a  bush  or  shrub  could  I  see  growing  upon  the 
precipitous  sides;  there  was  nothing,  absolutely  nothing, 
for  me  to  cling  to,  and  the  stones  and  earth  which  I  dis 
turbed  in  my  descent  were  falling  in  a  shower  around  me. 

Convinced  that  death  was  inevitable,  I  became  perfectly 
reconciled  to  the  thought.  My  mind  comprehended  in  a 
moment  the  acts  of  a  life-time.  Transactions  of  the  most 
trivial  character,  circumstances  the  remembrance  of  which 
had  been  buried  deep  in  memory's  vault  for  years,  stood 
before  me  in  bold  relief;  my  mind  recalled  with  the  rapid 
ity  of  lightning,  and  yet  retained  a  distinct  impression  of 
every  thought. 

I  seemed  to  be  gliding  swiftly  and  surely  out  of  the  world, 
but  felt  no  fear,  experienced  no  regret  at  the  thought;  on  the 


I  FALL  THREE  HUNDRED  FEET. 


MY  SENS  A  TIONS.  411 

contrary,  rejoiced  that  I  was  so  soon  to  see  with  my  own 
eyes  the  great  mystery  concealed  behind  the  veil;  that  I 
was  to  cross  the  deep  waters  and  be  at  rest. 

I  thought  I  heard  the  sound  of  many  voices,  in  wonderful 
harmony,  coming  from  the  far-off  distance,  though  from 
what  direction  I  could  not  tell. 

My  momentum  had  become  so  great  that  I  seemed  to  expe 
rience  much  difficulty  in  breathing;  and  I  remember  that  I 
was  trying  to  explain  to  my  own  satisfaction  why  this  should 
be  so,  when  the  heel  of  my  right  boot  struck  the  corner  of  a 
small  stone  that  chanced  to  be  firmly  imbedded  in  the  earth 
and  therefore  offered  so  much  resistance  to  my  descent,  that 
upon  striking  it  I  was  thrown  forward  upon  my  face.  This 
stone  without  doubt  saved  my  life. 

I  have  a  clear  recollection  that  as  I  was  thrown  forward, 
I  instinctively  threw  my  arms  out,  whether  to  act  as  a 
protection  to  my  face,  or  to  enable  me  to  grasp  some 
thing,  I  do  not  know;  but  one  of  my  hands  struck  against 
the  sharp  edge  of  something,  and  I  grasped  it  and  clung 
to  it  with  a  tenacity  that  a  dying  man  only  can  under 
stand. 

I  have  always  since  that  day  understood  perfectly  the 
feeling  that  induces  a  drowning  man  to  catch  at  a  straw 
that  he  sees  floating  near  him. 

How  it  was  that  I  succeeded  in  grasping  it,  or  holding  it, 


412  HOW  I  WAS  SAVED. 

or  managing  to  make   it  afford  me   a   kind   of   support,  I 
have  no  idea. 

I  remember  of  thinking  that  I  had  stopped ;  of  being  aware 
that  I  was  bleeding  badly;  of  wondering  if  I  was  dead,  and 
why  such  an  eternity  of  time  had  elapsed  since  my  foot  had 
slipped;  and  then  darkness  closed  around  me. 

I  was  aroused  by  a  sharp  pain  in  my  left  arm,  and  opening 
my  eyes  saw  two  or  three  persons  standing  around  me, 
whom  I  did  not  recognize,  though  I  realized  the  fact  that  I  was 
not  dead,  and  immediately  relapsed  once  more  into  a  state  of 
insensibility,  to  be  again  aroused  by  a  terrible  tvwnge  of 
pain  in  my  arm. 

Opening  my  eyes,  I  saw  the  doctor  with  a  pair  of  scissors, 
which  I  recognized  as  my  own,  in  his  hand,  with  which  he 
seemed  to  be  engaged  in  cutting  my  coat-sleeve,  while  a 
confused  mass  of  something  seemed  above  and  around  him 
on  all  sides.  At  first  I  could  not  seem  to  understand  what 
it  meant,  then  I  knew  them  to  be  human  faces,  and  then  — 

When  I  next  awoke  I  was  lying  in  my  blankets,  with,  I 
was  sure,  a  broken  arm,  and  was  pretty  well  convinced  by 
the  feeling  of  my  body  that  I  had  not  a  bone  in  it  that  was 
not  in  some  manner  injured.  The  doctor  was  sitting  a  short 
distance  from  me,  complacently  smoking  his  pipe,  in  the 
bright  light  of  the  camp-fire. 

I  said  to  him,  "Well,  old  fellow,  you  seem  to  be  taking  it 
easy." 


REST.  413 

He  replied:  "Yes;  and  if  you  know  when  you're  well 
off,  you'll  do  the  same  thing.  Go  to  sleep  again,  and  in  the 
morning  you  shall  know  about  it." 

Reader,  I  obeyed  orders,  because  I  couldn't  help  it.  I 
went  to  sleep,  and  in  the  morning  heard  the  story  that  I 
shall  relate  in  the  next  chapter. 


CHAPTER    XXVI. 


S  it  likely  to  die  he  is, 
docther?"  were  the  first 
words  that  saluted  my  ears 
upon  awaking,  the  next 
morning. 

I  lay  perfectly  still,  and 
with  closed  eyes,  listened 
for  the  doctor's  reply. 

"Die?   Not  he;  he'll  be 
all  right  in  a  week." 
"Faith,  an'  it's  wake  anuf  now  he  is,"    replied  Jimmy. 
"How  long  will  we  be  here,  docther?" 
"Ten  days  at  least,"  answered  the  doctor. 
I  fancied  I  could   discern  a  tone  of  genuine  satisfaction 
in  Jimmy's  voice  in  the  "Thank  yez,  sur"  with  which  he 
responded  to  the  doctor's   reply  to  his  inquiry.     Opening 
my  eyes,  I  said,  "I'm  sorry  you  told  Jimmy  that,  doctor; 
we  have  been   annoyed  enough  by  him,   and  if  he  thinks 

(414) 


THE  DOCTORS  STORY.  415 

we  are  to  remain  here   ten   days   longer,  I  fear  we  shall 
have  more  trouble  with  him." 

"Not  a  bit  of  it,"  cheerily  replied  the  doctor.  "Jim 
my's  heart  is  still  sore,  and  he's  not  likely  to  fall  in  love 
again,  for  the  present,  at  least.  Do  you  know  that  I  believe 
he  really  had  a  strong  fancy  for  that  girl  ?  Never  mind  that, 
however;  it  was  a  'touch  and  go'  with  you,  old  fellow, 
last  night.  How's  your  arm  this  morning,  and  how  do  you 
feel?" 

"Sore!     Tell  me  about  it,  doctor." 

"Tell  you  about  it?  I  wish  I  could.  The  first  thing  we 
knew  of  your  mishap,  we  saw  you  going  down  the  face  of 
the  bluff  on  your  back,  at  a  rate  of  speed  that  would  have 
put  to  shame  old  Pegasus  himself,  without  even  the  compli 
ment  of  notifying  us  of  your  intended  trip.  It  was  some 
seconds  before  I  comprehended  the  situation,  and  even  then 
we  could  neither  of  us  do  anything,  and  certainly  never 
expected  to  see  you  alive  again. 

"We  listened,  and  heard  you  call  from  away  down  below 
that  you  were  'all  right;'  and  then  Don  Rafael  started  off 
like  the  wind,  and  almost  before  the  old  cacique  or  I  had 
had  time  to  collect  our  senses,  and  think  how  we  could  ren 
der  you  any  assistance,  he  was  back  with  half  a  dozen  Zunis 
and  some  lariats.  I  declare  I  don't  think  he  was  gone  five 
minutes.  When  you  think  of  the  distance  he  was  obliged  to 
travel  to  the  pueblo  and  back,  it  seems  incredible  that  he 


416  A  BOTTLE  OF  ARNICA. 

could  have  gotten  over  the  ground  in  such  a  short  space  of 
time. 

"They  went  to  the  terrace  above  you,  and  Don  Rafael  and 
one  of  the  Zunis  were  lowered  to  the  spot  where  you  lay, 
attached  the  ropes  around  your  body,  and  you  were  then 
hoisted,  more  dead  than  alive,  to  the  ledge  where  the  Zunis 
stood,  after  which  you  were  carried  upon  their  shoulders  to 
the  plain  below.  We  laid  you  upon  the  grass,  and  I  made 
an  examination  to  ascertain  the  extent  of  your  injuries,  and 
greatly  to  my  satisfaction  and  delight  found  that  your  only 
serious  injury  was  a  broken  arm.  I  managed  to  successfully 
set  it,  after  which  you  were  brought  here.  It  was  really  a 
most  wonderful  escape;  the  thing  couldn't  be  done  once  in 
ten  thousand  times;  for,  with  the  exception  of  your  broken 
arm,  which  isn't  a  bad  fracture  by  any  means,  and  some 
pretty  rough  old  bruises,  you  are  quite  unharmed.  A  few 
days  will  set  you  all  right  again.  I  only  wish  I  had  some 
arnica  for  you." 

"But,  doctor,  have  you  none?     You  had  a  bottle." 

"A  bottle!  Yes,  but  not  enough  to  do  you  much  good, 
though.  I  would  as  soon  think  of  anointing  a  whale  with  a 
pint  of  water.  I  have  ordered  you  some  soup,  and  am 
going  up  to  the  pueblo  to  ascertain  if  the  Zunis  have  any 
remedies  which  they  successfully  use  for  bruises." 

Jimmy  soon  after  made  his  appearance  with  a  bowl  of  hot 
mutton  broth.  While  partaking  of  it,  he  entertained  me 


JIMMY'S  STORY.  417 

with  an  amusing  account  of  my  fall,  viewed  from  his  stand 
point,  evidently  conceiving  the  idea  that  it  was  occasioned 
by  some  experiment  I  had  been  making  to  find  a  shorter  cut 
to  the  plain  below;  "for,"  said  he,  "  'twas  an  awful  fall 
yer  got,  Judge,  an'  whin  Don  Rafael  cum  runnin'  into  the 
town  beyant  thare,  and  sed  yer'd  falPn  from  the  top  ov  the 
bluff,  and  wuz  kilt  intirely  from  the  ifficts  ov  it,  I  thought  I 
shud  die  misilf  from  the  fright  I  got,  an'  I  hadn't  the  stringtn 
in  mi  ligs  to  stan'  up  at  all,  at  all,  an'  ef  it  hadn't  bin  for 
mi  mither-in-lor,  I'd  nivir  hev  raised  the  stringth  to  hev 
got  back  to  camp;  she's  a  foine  nuss,  mi  mither-in-lor; 
she's  bitther  nor  any  sisther  o'  charity  I  ivir  saw  —  a  foine 
woman,  sur." 

"Jimmy,  how  came  you  in  the  pueblo  on  that  afternoon? 
Didn't  I  expressly  forbid  you  to  go  there?" 

"Did  I  say  I  wuz  there;  an'  how  could  I  be  afther  forgit- 
tin'  what  yer  honor  said  to  me,  an'  the  purticlar  charges 
yez  giv  to  me?" 

"That's  just  what  I'd  like  to  know,  Jimmy,  what  sent 
you  to  the  pueblo." 

"It  wiiz  a-lookin'  afther  the  animals,  sur.  I  wuz  fearful 
they  might  naed  some  thin',  sur." 

"But,  Jimmy,  what  was  your  mother-in-law  doing  at  the 
corral  where  the  animals  were?" 

"Faith,  sur,  an'  she  wasn't  there.  I  wuz  at  her  house;  I 
h&dn't  bin  to  say  the  animals  yit;  I  wuz  jist  a-goin',  sur, 
53 


418 


THE  BETROTHED. 


when  I  see  Don  Rafael  a-comin',  and  thin  I  wuz  scart,  and 
forgot  all  about  'em,  sur.  But  I'm  thankful  to  see  yez 
will,  sur,  an'  able  to  take  yer  soup." 

In  a  very  short  time  after  Jimmy  left  me,  I  dropped  into 
a  quiet  slumber,  from  which  I  was  aroused  by  the  arrival  of 


JIMMY  S    MOTHEE-IN-LAW. 


the  doctor  in  company  with  a  woman  that  he  had  procured 
to  give  me  treatment,  d  la  Zuni. 

The  woman,  by  no  means  a  bad-looking  one,  was  about 
forty-five  years  of  age,  quite  well  preserved,  and  altogether 
a  better  specimen  than  the  average  of  Zuni  women. 


MY  NUltSE.  419 

She  at  once  commenced  bathing  my  body  with  a  lotion 
prepared  from  herbs,  which  seemed  to  give  me  almost 
instant  relief.  She  was  remarkably  neat  and  cleanly  in  her 
personal  appearance,  and  the  gay-colored  ribbons  with  which 
her  head  was  adorned,  together  with  a  bright  scarlet  jacket, 
gave  to  her  quite  a  coquettish  air. 

Later  in  the  day,  when  the  cacique  came  to  see  me,  I  was 
sufficiently  free  from  pain  to  be  able  to  sit  up  and  converse 
with  him;  and  for  an  hour  or  more  I  was  agreeably  enter 
tained  by  the  many  interesting  facts  concerning  the  Zuuis, 
their  legends  and  traditions,  as  well  as  those  relating  to  the 
Moquis  country,  which  he  never  tired  of  telling.  I  was  es 
pecially  glad  to  hear  him  discourse  at  some  length-  of  the 
Moquis,  for  the  inaccessibility  of  that  country  had  compelled 
us  to  forego  an  intended  visit  there. 

Among  the  many  legends  that  he  related  was  one  regard 
ing  the  future  state,  which  for  poetical  imagery  I  have 
rarely  heard  equalled.  A  similar  legend  prevails  among 
the  more  northern  tribes  on  the  Pacific  coast,  which  has 
been  so  frequently  referred  to  by  different  writers  as  one 
of  the  most  beautiful  of  the  many  traditions  extant 
among  them,  that  I  propose  to  give  it  substantially  as  I 
find  it  related  by  the  Abbe  Domenech,  well  satisfied  that 
it  will  lose  none  of  its  beauty  or  force  when  clothed  in  his 
language. 

A  young   Zuni   huntsman,   distinguished   for  his  manly 


4-20  A  BEAUTIFUL  LEGEND. 

beauty  and  his  noble  pride,  saw  his  betrothed  die  on  the  day 
he  was  to  have  wedded  her. 

He  had  given  proof  of  his  impetuous  courage  in  battle, 
and  the  warriors  of  his  tribe  had  long  admired  his  intrepid 
ity;  but  now  his  heart  was  without  the  power  to  endure  the 
cruel  loss  he  had  sustained. 

Since  the  fatal  day  which  had  destroyed  his  dearest  hopes, 
he  knew  neither  joy  nor  repose.  He  often  went  to  visit  the 
cherished  tomb,  and  remained  whole  days  absorbed  in  his 
bitter  grief.  His  family  and  friends  urged  him  to  seek  a 
diversion  from  his  sorrow  in  hunting  and  war,  but  his  former 
occupations  had  lost  all  attractions,  and  his  tomahawk  and 
arrows  were  forgotten. 

Having  heard  that  a  path  existed  which  led  into  the 
" Country  of  Souls,' '  he  resolved  to  seek  it  out  and  follow  it, 
until  he  should  find  her  whom  he  so  sincerely  mourned. 

One  morning  he  departed  alone,  and  turned  towards  the 
south,  guided  only  by  tradition.  For  a  long  time  he  per 
ceived  no  difference  in  the  aspect  of  nature:  the  mountains, 
the  valleys,  the  forests,  and  the  rivers  resembled  those  which 
he  had  so  often  traversed  near  the  tombs  of  his  fathers. 

The  day  preceding  his  departure  from  home,  a  heavy  fall 
of  snow  had  covered  the  ground;  but  by  degrees,  as  he 
advanced  upon  his  journey,  the  snow  became  rarer,  and  at 
length  disappeared  altogether.  The  trees  soon  became 
green,  the  forests  gay  and  smiling,  the  air  pure  and  warm, 


THE  OLD  MAN  WITH  WHITE  HAIR.         421 

and  the  cloudless  sky  resembled  a  vast  blue  prairie  sus 
pended  over  his  head,  while  delicious  flowers  made  the 
atmosphere  heavy  with  their  sweet  perfumes,  and  birds  of 
most  brilliant  plumage  sang  their  melodious  songs. 

By  these  signs,  the  mourner  knew  that  he  was  on  the  right 
road,  for  they  were  all  in  accordance  with  the  tradition. 

At  last  he  came  to  a  shady  and  sequestered  path,  which 
attracted  his  fancy  to  such  a  degree  that  he  determined  to 
follow  it;  and  after  passing  through  a  beautiful  wood,  he 
found  himself  before  an  humble  cabin,  situated  upon  the 
top  of  a  high  hill. 

At  the  door  of  this  dwelling  stood  an  old  man  with  long 
white  hair,  whose  whole  appearance  betokened  great  age, 
and  whose  eyes,  though  sunken,  shone  like  fire.  He  was 
clothed  in  a  mantle  of  swans'  down,  which,  thrown  negli 
gently  over  his  shoulders,  fell  to  the  ground  in  graceful 
folds,  and  in  his  hand  he  held  a  long  stick. 

The  young  Zimi  began  to  relate  his  history,  but  before 
he  had  uttered  five  words,  he  was  interrupted  by  the  old 
man,  who  thus  addressed  him:  — 

"I  was  waiting  for  you,  that  I  might  introduce  you  into 
my  cabin.  She  whom  you  seek  passed  here  a  few  days 
since,  and  as  she  was  fatigued  by  her  journey,  she  rested  in 
my  poor  dwelling.  Come  in;  sit  down,  and  I  will  point 
out  to  you  the  road  that  you  must  follow,  if  you  would  find 
your  bride." 


422  THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  BLESSED. 

After  the  young  warrior  had  fully  recovered  from  the 
fatigue  of  his  long  journey,  the  old  man  led  him  out  of  the 
cabin  by  another  door,  when,  pointing  with  his  stick,  he 
said  to  him:  "Do  you  see  yonder,  far  away  beyond  that 
gulf,  a  beautiful  green  prairie?  That  is  the  'Island  of  the 
Blecoed.'  You  are  here  upon  its  confines,  and  the  only 
entrance  to  it  is  through  my  cabin;  before  departing  from 
here,  you  must  leave  your  bow  and  arrows,  your  dog,  and 
your  body  with  me ;  upon  your  return  you  will  find  them 
here." 

The  traveller  immediately  felt  himself  become  extraordi 
narily  light;  his  feet  scarcely  touched  the  ground,  and  his 
arms  seemed  transformed  into  wings. 

This  sudden  and  wonderful  transformation  seemed  to 
extend  to  all  surrounding  objects;  the  trees,  foliage,  flow 
ers,  lakes,  and  streams  shone  with  extraordinary  brilliancy. 

The  wild  animals  gambolled  around  him  with  a  fearless 
ness  which  incontestably  proved  that  the  hunter  never  entered 
into  their  countries. 

Birds  of  all  colors  sang  melodies  unknown  to  him,  or  spor 
tively  bathed  in  the  limpid  waters  of  the  lakes  and  rivers. 

But  what  astonished  him  more  than  all  the  wondrous 
things  that  he  saw,  was  to  find  that  he  walked  freely  through 
dense  thickets  of  verdure,  without  being  impeded  by  the 
objects  that  stood  in  his  path. 

By  these  things  he  understood  that  all  the  sights  which 


THE  MASTER  OF  LIFE.  423 

be  saw  were  only  images,  shadows  of  the  material  world,  and 
that  he  was  in  the  abode  of  spirits. 

After  having  walked  nearly  a  whole  day  in  this  beau 
tiful  land  of  enchantment,  he  arrived  upon  the  bank  of  an 
immense  lake,  in  the  midst  of  which  he  saw  the  "Island  of 
the  Blessed." 

A  canoe,  made  of  a  single  white  stone,  and  as  brilliant  as 
crystal,  was  moored  to  the  shore.  He  threw  himself  into  it, 
and  seizing  the  oars,  which  were  also  of  fine  crystallized 
?tone,  began  rowing  towards  the  Island.  Scarcely  had  he  left 
the  shore,  when,  to  his  joy,  he  saw  his  beautiful  young  bride, 
whom  he  had  come  so  far  to  find,  enter  a  barque  like  his 
own,  imitate  all  his  movements,  and  row  by  the  side  of  the 
one  in  which  he  was  floating. 

As  they  advanced,  the  waves  arose  threatening  and  foam 
ing,  as  if  they  desired  to  swallow  up  the  two  voyagers  in 
their  angry  embraces ;  then  they  would  recede  to  again  form 
anew,  as  menacing  as  before. 

The  two  lovers  passed  through  continual  alternations  of 
hope  and  fear,  their  terror  being  greatly  increased  by  seeing 
through  the  transparent  water,  that  the  bottom  of  the  lake 
was  strewn  with  the  bones  of  the  multitudes  that  had  been 
shipwrecked  while  attempting  the  same  voyage  that  they 
were  then  taking. 

The  Master  of  Life  had,  however,  decreed  that  they  should 
arrive  safely,  because  the  thoughts  and  actions  of  both  had 


424  A  COMMAND. 

ever  been  good;  but  they  beheld  many  others,  less  happy 
than  themselves,  after  struggling  in  vain  against  the  waves, 
sink  helplessly  into  the  abyss. 

Men  and  women  of  every  rank,  age,  and  condition  in  life, 
embarked;  some  reached  the  port  without  difficulty,  others 
perished  on  the  way. 

At  last,  they  were  permitted  to  set  foot  upon  the  shore  of 
the  happy  island ;  they  breathed  with  delight  the  perfumed 
air  which  strengthened  them  like  celestial  food ;  they  wralked 
together  in  meadows  always  green,  and  filled  with  flowers 
which  did  not  fade  when  trodden  on,  but  emitted  an  exquisite 
perfume  that  soothed  and  delighted  the  senses. 

All  nature,  in  this  enchanting  island,  had  been  planned  by 
the  Great  Spirit,  expressly  to  charm  the  souls  of  those  who 
were  to  be  its  inhabitants;  cold,  heat,  tempest,  snow,  hun 
ger,  tears,  war,  and  death  were  unknown;  animals  were 
hunted  in  the  "happy  hunting-grounds"  for  amusement 
only,  but  were  never  killed. 

Our  young  warrior  would  have  remained  eternally  in 
this  happy  laud  with  his  betrothed,  had  not  the  Master  of 
Life  commanded  him  to  return  to  his  own  country,  to  finish 
his  mortal  course. 

He  could  not  see  him  who  spoke,  but  he  heard  a  voice 
like  the  sweet  murmur  of  the  breeze,  which  said  to  him: 
"Return  to  the  land  from  whence  you  came.  The  time  has 
not  arrived  for  you  to  come  and  dwell  in  this  blessed  abode ; 


TEE  ZUNI  HEREAFTER.  425 

the  duties  for  which  I  created  you  have  not  yet  been  ful 
filled;  return,  and  give  to  your  people  the  example  of  a  true 
life;  you  will  become  a  great  chief  in  your  tribe;  you  will 
be  instructed  in  your  duties  by  the  messenger  who  guards 
the  entrance  to  this  happy  island. 

"He  will  restore  to  you  your  body  and  all  that  you  left  in 
his  cabin.  Listen  to  him,  and  you  shall  one  day  return  to 
join  the  spirit  that  you  came  to  see,  and  whom  you  must 
leave  behind  you,  for  you  were  only  admitted  to  visit  with 
her,  and  to  see  the  glories  of  this  happy  land,  because  you 
were  faithful  to  the  memory  of  her  whom  you  so  truly  loved, 
and  who  is  accepted,  and  will  remain  here  always  young, 
and  happier  by  far  than  when  I  called  her  from  the  land  of 
snow." 

There  are  many  of  these  legends  among  the  Zunis,  which 
might  be  related  in  this  connection,  some  of  them  very 
beautiful,  and  all  of  them  abounding  in  the  finest  poetical 
fancy;  but  the  preceding  legend  of  the  "Island  of  the 
Blessed' '  is^  sufficient  to  give  the  reader  an  idea  of  them, 
and  perhaps  a  glimpse  of  the  Zuiiis'  hereafter,  which  to  my 
own  mind  suggests  much  that  is  pleasant  for  contemplation, 
although  many  of  my  readers,  I  fear,  will  hardly  call  it 
orthodox. 

As  I  had  felt  the  necessity  of  returning  to  my  blankets 
during  the  recital  of  this   charming  little  legend,  as  soon  as 
he  had  finished  it  the  cacique  arose  and  congratulated  me 
54 


426  JIMMY  IN  COUNCIL. 

most  sincerely  upon  my  very  wonderful  escape  from  instaut 
death.  He  took  his  departure,  wishing  me  a  speedy 
recovery,  and  promising  to  spend  a  portion  of  the  morrow 
with  me. 

While  lying  in  my  blankets,  I  could  distinctly  hear  the 
low,  monotonous  tones  of  Jimmy's  voice,  uninterrupted  by 
any  sound  in  reply,  until,  fancying  that  he  must  be  talking 
to  himself,  I  managed  to  so  change  my  position  that  I  was 
enabled  to  see  him  sitting  upon  the  ground  at  no  great  dis 
tance  behind  the  wagon,  conversing  by  signs  with  the 
woman  that  the  doctor  had  procured  from  the  pueblo  to  act 
as  my  nurse,  while  at  the  same  time,  he  kept  up  the  inces 
sant  talking  that  had  first  attracted  my  attention,  although 
he  knew  very  well  that  the  woman  could  not  understand  a 
single  word  that  he  uttered. 

Curiosity  prompted  me  to  endeavor  to  ascertain  what 
the  subject  of  conversation  was,  and,  by  attentively  listen 
ing,  I  managed  to  occasionally  catch  a  word,  while  fancy 
supplied  the  missing  ones. 

In  this  manner  I  soon  became  convinced  that  he  was 
rehearsing  to  his  auditor  a  list  of  the  many  charms  pos 
sessed  by  the  *«girl  he  left  behind  him"  in  his  flight  and 
hurried  descent  upon  our  camp  on  the  night  of  the  Navajoes' 
attack. 

As  I  gazed  at  the  pair,  I  thought  that  I  remembered  the 
woman's  features,  although  I  could  not  recall  where  I  had 


PREVARICATION.  427 

seen  her,  as  the  neat  and  jaunty  garb  in  which  she  was 
clothed  effectually  metamorphosed  her  beyond  recognition. 

I  heard  Jimmy  say  to  her,  "She  wuz  an  illigant  craythur, 
ez  beautiful  ez  yoursilf  intirely,  an'  me  heart  is  broke, 
shure;"  at  the  same  time  he  endeavored  by  the  most  ridicu 
lous  pantomime  to  make  the  woman  comprehend  what  he  was 
saying,  and  endeavoring  to  enforce  the  remark  upon  her 
mind  by  asking  every  moment,  "D'ye  understhand  that, 
noo?"  with  an  earnestness  that  was  truly  amusing. 

To  each  repetition  of  the  above  question,  the  woman 
would  reply  by  an  affirmative  nod  of  the  head,  which 
seemed  to  give  him  the  most  complete  satisfaction. 

After  watching  them  for  some  time,  I  once  more  quietly 
resumed  my  former  position,  and  calling  loudly  for  Jimmy, 
he  presented  himself  before  me. 

Inquiring  for  Pon  Rafael,  Jimmy  informed  me  that  he 
had  accompanied  the  doctor  to  the  pueblo  for  some  pur 
pose,  whereat  I  asked  Jimmy  if  the  nurse  that  the  doctor 
had  brought  from  the  town  had  returned  yet. 

"Shure,  sur,"  said  Jimmy,  "she  wuz  jist  a-goin',  whin 
I  seen  her  last." 

"How  long  ago  was  that,  Jimmy?" 

"Indade,  sur,  I  wouldn't  sthate,  not  havin'  the  time  wid 
me!" 

"Well,  Jimmy,  has  she  gone  or  not,  do  you  know?" 

"Faix,  I  wouldn't  like  to  sthate,  but  I'll  go  and  say." 


428  THE  MOTHER-IN-LAW. 

And  the  next  minute  he  was  by  her  side,  making  the 
most  frantic  gesticulations  in  his  efforts  to  get  rid  of  the 
poor  woman,  while  he  insisted  upon  continually  talking  to 
her,  in  a  strain  something  like  the  following,— 

"Ye  must  go  right  home,  like  a  good  ooman,  an'  I'll 
cum  up  right  away,  for  if  the  Juge  knows  yer  in  camp, 
he'd  hev  me  kilt  immajetly  at  oust.  Go  now,  there's  a 
good  ooman;  don't  bodder  him  enny  longer." 

After  fairly  pushing  the  woman  out  of  the  camp,  and 
returning  with  a  most  innocent  look  upon  his  face,  he  re 
marked,  "I  don't  say  her  iny where  about,  sur." 

I  said,  "Jimmy,  who  is  the  woman?  I've  seen  her 
before,  somewhere." 

"Iiidade,  sur,.  it's  only  me  mither-in-lor." 

"Who?" 

"It's  the  mither  of  the  gurl,  sur." 

"What  girl,  Jimmy?" 

"The  gurl,  sur,  thet  thini  Navajoe  divils  rin  away  wid  the 
other  night ; ' '  and  tears  as  big  as  gooseberries  appeared  in 
Jimmy's  eyes;  as  he  added,  "poor  craythtir,  who  can  till 
\\hat  her  sufferings  may  be." 

I  said  to  Jimmy,  thinking  to  comfort  him  in  his  afflic 
tion,  "Well,  I'm  very  glad  she's  here,  for  now  you  may 
be  enabled  to  make  the  poor  woman  some  kind  of  repara 
tion  for  the  great  wrong  you  have  unconsciously  worked  her, 
as  well  as  her  daughter." 


A  REQUEST.  429 

"Wrang,  sur!     How  did  I  wraiig  her?" 

"By  cruelly  leaving  the  poor  girl  to  be  captured  b}  the 
Navajocs,  when  you  might  have  defended  her  just  as  well 
as  not,  and  — " 

"Last  me  scalp?"  said  Jimmy,  in  a  tone  of  voice  that 
clearly  indicated  that  such  a  contingency  had  been  fully 
considered  by  him,  before  acting  in  the  matter. 

"Certainly,  Jimmy,  any  person  should  feel  it  an  honor 
to  lose  his  scalp,  or  his  life  even,  in  defence  of  his  lady 
love." 

"An'  what  wud  me  honor  amount  to  widout  me  scalp? 
Bedad,  I'd  rayther  fale  the  wan,  then  have  the  ither," 
said  Jimmy,  inadvertently  passing  his  hand  over  the  top  of 
his  head,  as  if  to  assure  himself  that  his  scalp  was  still 
there.  "But,  sur,  the  poor  woman  is  wantin'  some  things 
to  make  hursilf  comfurtable,  jist  thryflin'  things,  sur;  wee 
little  things,  that  yer  honor  wouldn't  miss  at  all,  at  all. 
Can  she  have  'em?" 

"Well,  Jimmy,  as  she's  gone  now,  we'll  talk  of  it  another 
time." 

"Shure,  sur,  she  haven't  gone,  I  giss." 

"But  you  told  me  she  had,  Jimmy." 

"Will,  sur,  I  didn't  rightly  know  at  the  time  1  was  spak- 
in',  sur." 

"Jimmy,  I  think  you're  trying  to  deceive  me." 

"Is   it  mesilf,  sur,  that  wud  be  thryin'  to   decave   yez, 


430  A  NEW  COOK, 

d'ye  think?    I'd  know  I  couldn't  do  it,  sur,  but  can  I  give 
the  woman  a  few  things,  sur?" 

4 'Yes,  Jimmy;    but  remember   we're  a  long  way  from 
home  yet,  and  our  supply  is  none  of  the  largest." 

"Shure,  sur,  I  know  all  that,"  said  Jimmy,  as  he  hurried 
away  to  bestow  his  presents,  leaving  me  well   satisfied   in 
my  own  mind,  and  greatly  relieved  to  think  that  we  should 
have  no  further  trouble  from  Jimmy's  too  susceptible  heart. 
Ere  half  an  hour  had  elapsed,  Jimmy  returned,  and  seat 
ing  himself  by  my  side,  remarked, — 
''That's  a  moighty  foine  woman,  Juge." 
"Yes,  Jimmy,  she  seems  like  a  nice  kind  of  a  person." 
"She's    a    beauthifool    craythur,    sur,   and    an    illigant 
cook." 

"Well,  we  don't  want  her  to  cook  for  us." 
"But   she's   comin',   this  blissid    avenin',  sur,   to   cook 
garvies  for  yez;  thim   illigant   little  cakes,  that   looks  like 
wasps'  nishts." 

Thinking  it  best  to  humor  Jimmy  in  his  desires,  I  made 
no  objection  to  the  arrangement;  and  away  he  went,  to  ascer 
tain  if  possible  what  had  become  of  the  doctor,  who  in  a 
very  few  moments  appeared  with  Don  Eafael,  who  reported 
seeing  Jimmy  on  his  way  to  the  pueblo;  nor  did  we  set 
him  again  until  he  appeared,  late  in  the  afternoon,  in  com 
pany  with  his  mother-in-law,  who  was  evidently  prepared 
to  cook  the  "garvies,"  as  she  bore  in  her  hand  a  smalJ 


GUAYAVES.  431 

earthen  dish  or  bottle,  filled  with  the  thin  paste  made  of 
meal  ground  from  corn. 

As  the  guayave  is  an  article  of  food  very  much  liked 
by  all  the  Pueblo  Indians  of  New  Mexico,  and  also  one 
that  Americans  become  very  fond  of  after  a  short  sojouin 
in  the  country,  let  me  inform  the  reader  how  it  is  made 
and  what  it  is  like. 

The  woman,  after  selecting  a  smooth,  flat  stone,  laid  it 
carefully  upon  our  camp-fire,  so  that  it  would  gradually 
heat  through. 

After  it  was  hot,  she  knelt  beside  it,  and  pouring  upon 
it  a  little  of  the  paste  from  the  bottle,  with  the  palm  of 
her  hand  she  smoothly  spread  it  over  the  surface  of  the 
stone,  until  it  was  very  thinly  and  evenly  distributed;  then 
she  peeled  it  off  from  the  stone,  and  made  it  into  a  roll 
resembling  a  large  cigar,  when  it  was  ready  to  be  eaten. 

It  is  a  very  palatable  article  of  food,  not  unlike  the 
tortilla  (described  in  a  previous  chapter)  in  its  taste,  as 
well  as  the  general  manner  of  preparation. 

We  made  our  supper,  in  part,  of  guayaves  that  night, 
much  to  the  satisfaction  of  Jimmy,  who  pronounced  both 
cook  and  garvies  "illigant." 


CHAPTER    XXVII. 


'PON  rising  the  next  morning,  I  was  in 
formed  by  Don  Rafael  that  Jimmy  had 
accompanied  the  nurse  from  camp  the 
night  before,  and  that  he  did  not  return 
until  long  after  midnight.  Deeming  it 
best  to  let  Jimmy  know  that  I  was  in 
formed  regarding  his  movements,  though 
I  did  not  want  him  to  think  that  I  was  in 
quiring  too  closely  into  the  secret  of  his 
outgoings  and  incomings,  I  called  him  to  me,  and  asked  him 
his  reason  for  absenting  himself  from  camp  the  night  before. 
He  replied  that  "he  warked  beside  his  mither-in-lor 
to  the  town  bey  ant,  in  order  that  he  might  protict  her  from 
eny  sthray  bands  of  Navajoes  that  might  be  prowlin'  through 
the  counthry." 

Of  course,  to  so  reasonable  an  excuse  as  this,  I  could 
offer  no  objections,  as  Jimmy  had  so  clearly  demonstrated 
in  a  previous  instance  both  his  ability  and  disposition  to 

(432) 


AN  INVITATION.  433 

defend  (?)  any  woman  who  might  be  in  his  charge  from  dan 
ger  threatened  by  reason  of  Navajoe  prowlers. 

Breakfast  was  hardly  dispatched*  before  Doctor  Parker, 
who  had  seated  himself,  pipe  in  hand,  by  my  side,  discov 
ered  the  cacique  approaching,  with  the  evident  purpose  of 
paying  me  his  promised  visit. 

The  doctor  filled  a  pipe  for  the  old  man,  who  was  no 
sooner  seated,  than  he  informed  us,  with  an  eagerness 
almost  child-like  in  its  simple  earnestness,  that  on  the  mor 
row  the  Zunis  were  to  celebrate  the  "Maize,"  or  "Green- 
corn  dance,"  and  that  it  would  make  him  "much  happy" 
if  we  would  do  him  the  honor  to  be  present  cind  witness  it. 

As  this  dance  is  one  of  the  few  Montezuma  festivals  still 
celebrated  by  these  Indians,  and  is  regarded  by  them  with 
the  greatest  veneration,  the  doctor  and  myself  determined 
to  attend,  and  see  this  most  curious  and  beautiful  ceremony. 

I  immediately  signified  my  thanks  for  the  invitation,  and 
promised,  if  able  to  walk  to  the  pueblo,  to  be  present. 

As  the  old  man  seemed  in  quite  a  loquacious  mood,  a 
few  questions  drew  from  him  much  interesting  information 
concerning  Montezuma  and  the  people  of  the  Moquis 
country,  as  well  as  a  description  of  some  of  the  extensive 
and  singular  ruins  found  in  the  Navajoe  country,  some 
ninety  or  a  hundred  miles  north  of  Zuni,  lying  upon  the 
Rio  de  Chelly,  and  in  the  Canon  de  Chaco,  which  are  the 
most  northern  of  any  in  New  Mexico. 
55 


434  LEGEND  OF  MONTEZUMA, 

Upon  asking  him  if  he  could  give  us  any  reliable  account 
of  these  ruins,  he  replied,  without  a  moment's  hesitation, 
"O  yes;  they  were  built  by  Montezuma  himself,  who,  as 
be  travelled  over  the  country,  was  in  the  habit  of  build 
ing  a  town  in  a  single  night  wherever  he  stopped;  that  he 
also  planted  maize  at  night,  which  in  the  morning  was 
found  to  have  grown  and  ripened,  ready  for  his  followers' 
use;  that  he  never  failed  to  construct  an  estufa  in  each 
town  that  he  built,  on  the  altar  of  which  he  kindled  a 
flame,  ever  after  regarded  as  sacred.  This  flame  his  fol 
lowers  were  never  to  allow  to  become  extinguished  until 
his  prophecies  were  all  fulfilled ;  that  for  centuries  his  com 
mands  had  been  regarded,  and  the  sacred  flame  was  never 
allowed  to  go  out  until  after  that  portion  of  his  prophecies 
regarding  the  coming  of  the  'pale  faces  from  the  place 
where  the  sun  rises,'  had  been  literally  fulfilled."  * 

Upon  asking  if  he  could  give  me  any  facts  concerning 
Montezuma's  origin,  he  informed  me  that  Montezuma  was 
the  only  son  of  the  most  beautiful  woman  that  the  Great 
Spirit  had  ever  created  and  permitted  to  bless  the  earth 
with  her  presence. 

So  beautiful  was  she,  that  none  but  the  bravest  warriors 

*  There  are,  at  the  present  time,  Americans  living  in  New  Mexico  who  have 
actually  seen  the  "sacred  flame"  burning  in  the  temple  at  Pecos,  as  well  as 
in  the  pueblo  of  Jemmez,  and  this  some  years  after  the  United  States  had 
acquired  possession  of  the  Territory. 


MONTE ZUM AS  MOTHER.  435 

could  look  upon  her,  as  the  celestial  beauty  of  her  form  and 
features  caused  all  who  gazed  upou  her  to  at  once  become 
her  humble  and  abject  slaves. 

That  the  chiefs  of  all  the  tribes  of  the  earth  came  and 
sought  her  hand  in  marriage;  that  they  no  sooner  saw  the 
other  suitors,  than  they  waged  war  one  against  the  other, 
and  engaged  in  furious  combat  for  the  privilege  of  first 
paying  their  addresses  to  her.  She  turned  a  deaf  ear  to  all 
their  entreaties,  however,  and  refused  to  entertain  the  pro 
posals  of  any  of  them,  because  she  was  the  bride  of  the 
Great  Spirit.  Each  of  her  suitors  brought  tribute  of  the 
finest  and  best  productions  of  their  lands,  which  were  stored 
m  great  houses,  built  for  that  purpose. 

In  this  manner  she  accumulated  large  quantities  of  gold, 
silver,  precious  stones,  cloth,  and  skins;  also  vast  stores  of 
maize,  wheat,  and  other  grains.  So  immense  were  these 
supplies,  that  when  famine  came  upon  the  land,  and  the 
people  were  starving,  she  was  enabled  to  furnish  them  with 
food,  and  prevent  them  from  dying.  Thus  it  was  that  she 
won  the  love  of  all  the  people,  and  made  herself  worthy 
to  become  the  mother  of  the  great  and  good  Montezuma. 

One  day,  while  wandering  through  a  beautiful  grove 
near  her  residence,  she  lay  down  upon  the  green  grass,  and 
fell  asleep,  failing  to  awake  as  the  shades  of  evening 
approached.  A  gentle  zephyr  having  displaced  the  snowy 
garment  that  covered  her  bosom,  a  single  drop  of  dew  fell 


436  OLD  RUINS. 

upon  one  of  her  beautiful  breasts,  and  she  forthwith  became 
pregnant,  and  gave  birth  to  a  son,  who  immediately  grew  to 
the  stature  of  a  man.  This  son  was  Montezuma,  he  who 
had  built  the  many  towns,  the  ruins  of  which  were  scattered 
throughout  the  country. 

The  old  man  informed  me  that  he  had  visited  many 
of  these  ruins  himself,  and  found  them  "very  much  large;" 
but  as  Lieutenant  Simpson,  U.  S.  A.,  in  his  "Navajoe  Ex 
pedition,"  has  given  so  complete  a  description  of  them,  I 
prefer  to  use  it,  rather  than  the  somewhat  faulty  and  con 
fused  one  given  by  the  cacique. 

Simpson  describes  a  portion  of  these  ruins  as  situated  in 
the  Canon  de  Chaco,  and  in  the  valley  of  the  Rio  de  Chelly, 
two  of  the  most  southern  tributaries  of  the  Rio  San  Juan. 

In  all,  there  are  more  than  thirty  of  these  ruined  pue 
blos,  only  six  of  which  he  gives  a  description  of:  Pintado, 
Weje-gi,  Una-Vida,  Hungo-Pavie,  Chettro-Kettle,  and 
Penasca-Blanca . 

He  found  the  ruins  of  the  pueblo  Pintado  "forming  one 
structure,  and  built  of  tabular  pieces  of  hard,  fine-grained, 
compact,  gray  sandstone, " —  a  material  quite  unknown  in 
the  present  architecture  of  New  Mexico, —  "to  which  age 
and  the  atmosphere  have  imparted  a  reddish  tint,  the  layers, 
or  slabs,  being  not  thicker  than  three  inches,  and  sometimes 
as  thin  as  a  fourth  of  an  inch.  The  masonry  discovers  a 
combination  of  science  and  art,  which  can  only  be  referred 


RUINS   IX  THE  CAXOX  DE  CHA.CO. 


DESCRIPTION  OF   THEM.  437 

to  a  higher  State  of  civilization  and  refinement  than  is  to 
be  found  in  the  works  of  either  the  Mexicans  or  Pueblos 
of  to-day. 

"So  beautiful,  diminutive,  and  true  are  the  details  of  the 
structure,  as  to  give  them  at  a  little  distance  the  appear 
ance  of  a  magnificent  piece  of  mosaic  work. 

"In  the  outer  face  of  the  buildings  no  signs  of  mortar  are 
to  be  seen,  the  intervals  between  the  beds,  or  layers,  being 
chinked  with  beautifully  colored  pebbles  of  the  minutest 
thinness;  the  filling  and  backing  of  the  walls  is  done  in 
rubble  masonry,  the  mortar,  however,  showing  no  indica 
tion  of  the  presence  of  lime;  their  thickness  at  the  base 
is  a  little  more  than  three  feet,  while  higher  up  it  is  less, 
diminishing  every  story  by  retreating  jogs  on  the  inside 
from  the  bottom  to  the  top. 

"The  elevation  of  the  walls  at  the  present  time  is  thirty- 
two  feet,  showing  it  to  have  been  originally  four  stories 
high;  the  ground-plan,  in  exterior  development,  is  four  hun 
dred  and  thirteen  feet.  On  the  ground  floor  are  fifty-foui 
apartments,  the  smallest  one  measuring  five  feet  square,  the 
largest  one  thirteen  feet  by  seven.  These  rooms  communi 
cate  with  each  other  by  means  of  small  doors,  two  and  9 
half  feet  wide  by  three  feet  high. 

"In  the  second  story,  the  doors  are  much  larger;  in  this, 
as  in  the  third  story,  were  once  windows.  The  system  of 
flooring  was  unhewn  beams  about  six  inches  in  diameter, 


438  HUNG  0-PA  VIE. 

from  which  the  bark  had  been  carefully  removed;  they 
were  laid  transversely  from  wall  to  wall,  small,  peeled 
sticks,  about  one  inch  in  diameter,  being  laid  across  them; 
these  were  covered  with  grass,  or  tulle ,  which,  with  a  layer 
of  mud  mortar,  furnished  the  floor  to  the  room  above. 
These  beams  show  no  signs  of  the  saw  or  axe,  but  bear 
the  marks  of  having  been  hacked  off  by  some  very  imper 
fect  instrument. 

"In  different  portions  of  the  ruins  were  three  circular 
apartments,  sunk  in  the  ground,  the  walls  being  of  masonry; 
these  apartments  measured  from  sixteen  to  twenty-seven 
feet  in  diameter,  and  were  about  six  feet  in  the  clear; 
were  called  eslufas,  and  were  used  for  the  performances  of 
the  ceremonies  and  rites  of  their  religion ;  the  only  entrance 
to  them  being  through  a  small  door  in  the  top,  which  also 
admitted  the  light. ' ' 

The  pueblo  Weje-giis  built  in  the  same  manner  as  that 
of  Pintado,  and  is  constructed  of  the  same  kind  of  material. 
The  apartments  on  the  ground  floor  numbered  ninety- 
nine;  the  length  of  the  principal  edifice  is  three  hundred 
and  ninety  feet. 

The  ruins  of  Hungo-Pavie  show  the  same  nicety  in  the 
details  of  their  masonry  as  do  those  of  Pintado,  the  estufa 
alone  being  different,  it  having  a  number  of  interior  counter 
forts.  This  pueblo  was  undoubtedly  four  stories  in  height. 

The    ruins    of    the   pueblo    of    Chettro-Kettle,    although 


PENASCA-BLANCA.  439 

showing  the  same  style  of  architecture,  and  built  of  the 
same  kind  of  material,  are  more  extensive  than  those  already 
described;  there  are  four  stories  now  standing,  and  one 
hundred  and  twenty-four  rooms  occupied  the  ground 
floor.  Many  of  these  rooms  are  in  an  excellent  state  of 
preservation,  the  walls  still  having  upon  them  their  coating, 
or  plaster. 

The  most  extensive  of  these  northern  ruins  are  those  of 
the  pueblo  of  Penasca-Blanca,  which  differs  from  the  others 
in  the  arrangement  of  the  stones  composing  its  walls;  those 
of  the  other  pueblos  were  of  uniform  character,  in  the 
several  beds  or  layers  composing  them,  but  in  these  there 
is  a  regular  alternation  of  large  and  small  stones,  the 
effect  of  which  is  both  unique  and  beautiful. 

The  largest  of  these  stones  are  about  one  foot  in  length 
and  six  inches  in  thickness,  forming  but  a  single  bed;  alter 
nating  with  these  are  four  or  five  beds  of  small  stones, 
about  an  inch  in  thickness. 

The  general  plan  of  the  buildings  seems  to  have  been 
about  the  s-ame;  the  number  of  rooms  traceable  upon  the 
ground  floor  of  this  pueblo  is  one  hundred  and  thirty-four, 
while  the  existing  walls  show  it  to  have  been  five  stories 
in  height. 

In  no  single  instance  was  either  a  chimney  or  fireplace 
found  among  the  ruins,  nor  were  there  any  indications  of 
the  presence  or  use  of  iron  in  their  construction.  Quan- 


440  PO  TTER  F-  WARE. 

titles  of  pottery-ware  were  found,  the  colors  showing  taste  in 
their  selection  and  style  of  arrangement,  and  being  still 
quite  bright. 

It  can  hardly  be  necessary  to  describe  the  ruins  found 
in  the  valley  of  the  Rio  de  Chelly,  as  they  are  similar 
to  those  already  described  as  found  in  the  Canon  de 
Chaco,  covering  the  valley  for  the  space  of  twenty-five 
miles. 

Before  leaving  this  subject,  I  desire  to  speak  of  some 
ruins  which,  though  lying  south  of  the  present  boundary 
of  the  United  States,  without  doubt  formed  a  part  of  the 
wonderful  system  of  pueblos  existing  in  this  marvellous 


EABTHEN   BOWL   FEOM  EUINS   OF   THE   PUEBLO   PENA6CA-BLANCA. 

country,  which  extended  throughout  New  Mexico  and  Ari 
zona,  and  were  once  the  homes  of  a  numerous  and  indus 
trious  race  of  people. 

I  refer  to  the  ruins  of  the  Casas  Grandes  found  in  north 
western  Chihuahua,  and  situated  upon  the  Rio  Casas 
Grandes,  a  stream  that  empties  into  Lake  Guzman. 

These  are  the  ruins  of  the  most  southern  of  these  fortified 
towns,  or  pueblos,  and  which  the  historian,  Claverigo,  de 
clares  similar  in  every  respect  to  those  of  New  Mexico, 


CAS  AS  GE ANDES,  CHIHUAHUA.  441 

being  constructed  of  three  stories,  and  without  entrance   to 
the  first  floor. 

Unlike  any  other  ruins  in  New  Mexico,  save  those  of  the 
Gran  Quivera,  water  was  conveyed  to  the  pueblo  from  a 
spring  some  distance  away,  by  means  of  an  aqueduct.  A 
large  watch-tower,  called  by  some  " Castle  Janos,"  stands 
about  a  league  to  the  southwest  of  the  town,  commanding 
a  wide  extent  of  country,  while  along  the  banks  of  the 
stream  are  many  mounds,  in  which  weapons  of  stone,  with 
many  earthen  vessels,  handsomely  painted,  have  been 
found. 

Bartlett,  in  his  < 'Personal  Narrative,"  says:  "The  ruins  of 
Casas  Grandes  in  Chihuahua  face  the  cardinal  points,  and 
consist  of  fallen  and  erect  walls,  the  latter  varying  in  height 
from  five  to  thirty  feet,  projecting  above  the  portions  of  ruins 
which  have  crumbled  to  decay.  Were  the  heights  estimated 
from  the  foundations,  it  would  be  much  greater,  particularly 
those  of  the  centre  point  of  the  building,  where  the  fallen 
walls  and  rubbish  form  a  mound  more  than  twenty  feet 
above  the  ground.  If,  therefore,  the  highest  walls  now 
standing  have  their  foundations  on  the  lowest  level,  their 
probable  height  was  more  than  fifty  feet.  I  concluded  that 
the  outer  portion  of  the  buildings  was  the  lowest,  about  one 
storj'  high,  while  the  central  ones,  judging  from  the  height 
of  the  walls  now  standing,  and  the  accumulation  of  rubbish, 
were  probably  from  .three  to  six  stories. 
56 


442  DESCRIPTION  OF  RUINS. 

"Every  portion  of  the  building  is  made  of  adobe,  which 
differs  entirely  from  that  now  made  by  the  Mexicans,  in 
that  the  blocks  are  very  much  larger,  being  about  four 
feet  in  length,  by  twenty-two  inches  in  thickness.  Gravel 
was  mixed  with  the  mud,  but  no  straw  was  used. 

"The  building  consists  of  three  masses,  united  by  walls 
of  one  story,  forming  court-yards.  The  entire  edifice  ex 
tends  from  north  to  south  eight  hundred  feet,  and  from 
east  to  west  two  hundred  and  fifty.  The  general  character 
is  very  similar  to  the  Casas  Grandes  near  the  Pimo  vil 
lages,  and  the  ruins  on  the  Salinas.  Not  a  fragment  of 
wood  remains;  many  doorways  are  to  be  seen,  but  the 
lintels  have  gone,  and  the  top  has  in  most  cases  crumbled 
away,  and  fallen  in. 

"Some  of  the  apartments  arranged  along  the  main  walls 
are  twenty  feet  by  ten,  and  connected  by  doorways,  with 
a  small  enclosure,  or  pen,  in  one  corner,  between  three 
and  four  feet  high.  Besides  these  there  are  many  other 
exceedingly  narrow  apartments,  too  contracted  for  dwell 
ing-places  or  sleeping-rooms,  with  connecting  doorways, 
and  into  which  the  light  was  admitted  by  circular  aper 
tures  in  the  upper  part  of  the  wall.  There  are  also  large 
halls,  and  some  enclosures  within  the  walls,  and  so  exten 
sive  that  they  could  never  have  been  covered  by  a  roof. 
The  lesser  ranges  of  buildings,  which  surrounded  the  prin 
cipal  one,  may  have  been  occupied  by  the  people  at  large, 


ES  TUFAS.  443 

whose  property  may  have  been  deposited  within  the  great 
building  for  safe  keeping.  Although  there  appears  to  have 
been  less  order  in  the  tout  ensemble  of  this  great  collection 
of  buildings  than  in  those  farther  north,  the  number  of  small 
apartments,  the  second  stages  and  stories,  the  inner  courts, 
and  nearly  all  the  minor  details,  resemble  those  of  the  ruins 
found  in  New  Mexico  and  Arizona." 

Who  shall  answer  the  question,  when  and  by  whom 
were  these  wonderful  structures  built? 

In  a  succeeding  chapter  I  propose  to  give  the  reader  a 
synopsis  of  the  many  theories  that  have  been  advanced 
concerning  these  ruins  by  our  savans,  that  he  may,  in 
connection  with  the  facts  here  given,  understand  the  great 
uncertainty  that  exists  concerning  the  early  settlement  of 
this  marvellous  country;  as  well  as  to  convince  him  of  the 
truth  of  the  statements  made  in  previous  chapters  of  this 
work,  that  the  barren  and  desolate  wastes  now  existing 
between  the  Rio  Grande  and  the  waters  of  the  Pacific  were 
once  inhabited  by  a  race  of  people  far  superior  in  the  arts 
and  in  mechanical  skill  to  any  of  the  races  that  for  the 
past  century  have  been  found  within  its  confines. 

In  all  these  ruins  estufas  are  found  to  exist;  they  were 
invariably  built  underground;  were  circular  in  form,  w^h 
neither  doors  nor  windows,  entrance  always  being  had 
through  a  small  aperture  in  the  roof.  These  estufas  are  of 
different  sizes,  and  from  six  to  nine  feet  in  the  clear.  They 


444  INTERESTING    RITES. 

always  contained  a  kind  of  altar,  or  stone  table,  flat  upon 
the  top,  upon  which  it  is  supposed  was  kept  burning  the 
sacred  flame. 

The  walls  of  many  of  them  were  ornamented  with  rude 
paintings  or  representations  of  different  animals  or  birds; 
such  figures  as  the  deer,  the  dog,  the  wolf,  the  fox,  the 
eagle,  and  the  turkey;  in  addition  to  which,  rude  represen 
tations  of  the  sun,  the  moon,  the  clouds,  and  the  lightning 
were  found  painted  in  colors. 

These  estufas,  the  old  cacique  informed  me,  were  the 
temples  of  Montezuma,  and  that  the  cacique  and  their 
council,  at  the  planting  and  before  the  harvesting  each 
spring  and  fall,  visit  them  and  perform  certain  religious 
rites,  consisting  of  songs  and  chants,  which  are  sup 
posed  to  make  the  offerings  there  given  more  acceptable 
to  Montezuma,  who  in  return  therefor  bestows  upon  his 
children  many  blessings,  sending  them  rain  and  abundant 
crops. 

1  ventured  to  hint  to  the  cacique  that  I  possessed  a  very 
strong  desire  to  visit  the  estufa  at  Zuni  before  I  left;  but  the 
intimation  was  unheeded,  nor  was  the  subject  again  referred 
to  by  either  of  us. 

The  cacique  had  scarcely  left  ere  Jimmy  made  his  appear 
ance,  and  seated  himself  beside  me  with  such  an  air  of  im 
portance  that  I  was  at  once  aware  that  he  was  about  to  make 
some  communication  of  import.  Inflating  his  lungs  to  their 


JIMMY  PROPOSES  A  "TIST."  445 

fullest  extent,  and  inclining  his  head  to  one  side,  while  his 
face  wore  a  very  cunning  expression,  he  remarked, — 

"It  is  impossible  for  me  to  belave  thi  mony  injurious 
reports  carculated  concernin'  thi  Injuns  in  thi  town  beyant, 
whin  I  say  thi  face  ov  thi  good  ould  bazaque." 

For  a  moment  I  was  under  the  impression  that  Jimmy  had 
been  too  freely  partaking  of  the  contents  of  our  demijohn, 
but  soon  discovered,  from  the  serious  air  that  pervaded  his 
whole  hearing,  that  he  meant  business  by  his  remark,  and 
therefore  replied, — 

"Well,  Jimmy,  as  we  don't  propose  to  trust  ourselves 
among  them  for  any  length  of  time,  the  truth  or  falsity  of 
the  report  can  be  a  matter  of  no  earthly  consequence  to  us, 
especially  as  neither  of  us  will  have  any  opportunity  to  test 
it." 

"It'll  be  a  great  satisfaction,  for  to  do  it,  sur,"  replied 
Jimmy. 

"Do  what,  Jimmy?" 

"Tist  it,  sur." 

"Well,  you  can't  test  it,  so  let  that  settle  it,"  replied  I, 
rather  testily. 

"But  I  think  I  will,  shure." 

"How  do  you  propose  to  do  it,  Jimmy?" 

"By  thryin'  it,  shure,  sur." 

"How  are  you  going  to  try  it,  Jimmy?" 

"Well,  sur,  yer  say  I  owe  mi  mither-in-lor  some  riputa- 


446  WANTS    TO  MARRY. 

tion  for  thi  loss  ov  her  gurl,  an'  I'm  thinkin'  I'll  jist 

har,  an'   sittle  down  misilf  right  here,  sur,  wid  thi  other 

Injuns." 

Had  I  at  that  moment  heard  a  clap  of  thunder  resounding 
through  the  sky,  I  could  not  have  been  more  completely 
astounded,  than  at  this  piece  of  information.  Then  the  utter 
absurdity  of  it  struck  me  so  forcibly,  that  I  lay  back  and 
indulged  in  a  prolonged  and  most  hearty  fit  of  laughter, 
much  to  the  discomfort  of  my  poor  body,  which  was  still  very 
sore  from  the  effects  of  my  fall.  As  soon  as  I  could  suffi 
ciently  recover  myself,  I  said, — 

"Why,  Jimmy,  the  woman  is  old  enough  to  be  your 
mother." 

"No,  sur,"  said  Jimmy,  "she's  only  twinty-five,  an' 
I'm  twinty-six  misilf." 

"How  can  that  be,  Jimmy,  when  she  has  a  daughter  at 
least  twenty  years  old?" 

"Faith,"  said  Jimmy,  looking  for  a  moment  rather  puz- 
zlea,  "moighty  quare  things  hap'n  in  this  counthry;  d'ye 
moind  thi  sthory  that  thi  ould  bazaque  was  telhn'  yez  a  bit 
ago,  about  Mister  Montezuma's  mother?" 

"Yes,  Jimmy,  but  that  was  only  a  legend  that  occurred  a 
great  many  hundred  years  ago." 

"Will,  ef  these  things  tuk  place  thin,  why  wouldn't  they 
do  it  now?" 

"That  is  a  question  which  I  can't  answer,  Jimmy;    but  I 


HIS   MOTHER-IN-LAW.  447 

r 

can,  and  do  tell  you,  to  keep  away  from  the  woman,  and  I 
shall  require  your  parole  that  you  won't  go  near  the  town 
without  permission." 

"I'll  not  give  it  to  yez,"  said  Jimmy,  firmly  bracing  him 
self,  and  speaking  with  a  most  determined  air.  "Fathei 
Donnegan  giv  it  me,  an'  I'll  kape  it  all  mi  life  long,  for  he 
tould  me  to;  an'  it's  mighty  quare  that  a  mon can't  visit  wid 
his  own  mither-in-lor,  widout  bein'  obliged  to  deliver  up 
his  barole." 

"You  couldn't  marry  your  mother-in-law,  Jimmy,  without 
breaking  the  law,  and  that  would  subject  you  to  punishment 
for  the  crime  of  bigamy  —  perhaps." 

"What's  that,  shure,  sur?"    * 

"When  a  man  marries  his  mother-in-law,  that's  bigamy, 
Jimmy,  which  the  law  don't  permit." 

"Shure,  I  think  it's  moighty  small  bizness  for  the  lor  to 
interfere  in  cases  ov  thi  affictions." 

"There's  no  country  in  the  world,  Jimmy,  where  such  a 
marriage  would  be  legal." 

"Yis,  sur,"  said  Jimmy,  with  great  promptitude;  "it 
wud  be  laghal  in  ould  Ireland." 

"O,  no;  you  are  mistaken.  It  is  impossible  for  it  to  be 
legal  in  any  civilized  country." 

"Yis,  sur,"  said  Jimmy.  "Michael  Murphy,  in  the  county 
Monohon,  parish  ov  Limerick,  married  his  own  mither-in- 
lor,  an'  Father  Donnegan  did  it  wid  his  own  hands." 


448  HIS  REASONS. 

4 'Well,  if  he  did  do  it,  it's  no  excuse  for  you,  and  you 
may  as  well  understand  that,  first  as  last." 

"I'm  no  peon,  shure,"  replied  Jimmy. 

"No;  but  you  are  under  my  care,  and  I'll  see  that  the 
cacique  puts  a  stop  to  any  such  nonsense." 

"Is't  the  ould  bazaque  yer  spakin'  ov  now?  That  for  the 
ould  haythin,"  said  Jimmy,  jumping  up  from  the  ground, 
and  violently  snapping  his  fingers,  while  he  capered  around 
like  a  mad  man;  "that  for  the  ould  haythin!  Hasn't  he  got 
five  wives  alriddy,  an'  didn't  he  want  mi  mother-in-lor  for 
another  one,  an'  didn't  she  till  me  so  wid  her  own  mouth 
last  night?" 

"Now,  Jimmy,  how  is  that  possible,  when  you  can't  un 
derstand  a  word  she  says?" 

"  Faith,  she  tould  me  it  wid  her  fingers,  so  she  did." 

"Well,  Jimmy,  I  do  not  propose  to  discuss  the  matter 
any  further  with  you,  nor  do  I  know  or  care  how  many 
wives  the  cacique  has;  he  is  the  governor,  makes  the  laws, 
and  has  a  right  to  have  as  many  as  he  chooses;  but  I'll 
wager  something  that  he  never  yet  married  his  mother-in- 
law,  nor  can  you,  either." 

"But  I  must,  tho',  for  I'm  plidged  to  her  since  last  night," 
said  Jimmy,  looking  very  fierce. 

"  That  doesn't  make  any  difference;  not  the  least  in  the 
world.  You  were  pledged  to  her  daughter,  and  on  the 
very  first  appearance  of  danger,  you  left  her  like  a  cowardly 


AN  AGREEABLE  ERRAND.  449 

puppy,  and  took  good  care  of  yourself  alone,  notwithstand 
ing  you  had  inveigled  her  away." 

' 'What's  invaygled,  noo,"  said  Jimmy. 

"Well,  sir,"  I  replied,  "I'll  not  talk  with  you  any 
more  at  the  present  time ;  we  will  wait  until  the  return  of 
the  doctor,  and  have  his  opinion  on  the  subject.  In  the 
mean  time,  get  me  some  dinner.  I'm  hungry,  and  want  it 


a 

at  once." 


"Will  I  go  and  git  mi  mither-in-law  to  come  and  cook 
yez  some  o'  them  illigant  garvies  yez  liked  so  much?" 

'  4No,  sir.  I  don't  want  your  mother-in-law  in  camp,  or  to 
ever  hear  of  her  again,  and  you  be  very  careful  that  I  don't, 
either.  Now  go  and  cook  me  some  dinner  at  once." 

Jimmy  started,  to  return  in  a  few  moments  with  the 
announcement  that  Don  Rafael  had  neglected  to  provide  any 
meat,  but  had  told" him  to  go  to  the  pueblo  after  it,  a  circum 
stance  that  he  had  entirely  forgotten. 

Upon  his  mentioning  the  fact,  I  remembered  that  Don  Ra 
fael  had  asked  permission  for  Jimmy  to  go  for  the  provis 
ions  before  he  had  left  camp,  and  feeling  remarkably  hungry 
I  could  see  no  way  of  satisfying  my  appetite  but  to  permit 
Jimmy  to  again  visit  the  pueblo.  I  therefore  reluctantly  told 
bin  to  go,  but  bade  him  return  as  soon  as  possible. 

Jimmy  assented  to  this  command  most  cheerfully,  and 
started  towards  the  pueblo  with  the  air  of  a  man  who  goes 
to  perform  a  most  agreeable  errand;  in  fact,  so  quick  was  his 
57 


450  ALONE  IN  CAMP. 

step,  and  so  light  his  air,  that  I  called  him  back  aftei  he  had 
proceeded  some  distance  on  his  errand,  to  bid  him  be  sure 
and  not  forget  to  return  immediately,  as  I  was  entirely 
alone  in  the  camp,  and  very  hungry. 

Assuring  me  that  he  would  certainly  comply  with  my 
most  reasonable  demands,  he  once  more  departed,  and  the 
setting  sun  was  tinging  the  earth  with  its  crimson  benedic 
tion  ere  he  returned  to  inform  me  that  "the  mate  wuz 
gane  whin  he  got  thare."  A  fact  that  my  loneliness  during 
the  afternoon  had  more  forcibly  impressed  upon  me  than 
did  Jimmy's  bare  assertion. 

To  say  that  I  had  made  up  my  mind  to  give  Jimmy  a 
"piece  of  it"  upon  his  return,  doesn't  do  justice  to  the 
ideas  that  had  been  crowding  my  active  brain  all  the  after 
noon  long;  nor  can  I  repeat  to  you  the  withering  sarcasms 
that  had  sprung  unbidden  to  my  lips,  qr  the  tremendous 
oaths  which  I  had  determined  to  hurl  at  his  devoted  head, 
upon  his  appearance. 

They  would  have  crushed  a  dozen  stalwart  forms  into 
the  dust,  for  I  had  intended  that  they  should  annihilate 
Jimmy  so  completely  that  he  nor  his  mother-in-law  should 
never  again  be  heard  from. 

Alas  for  my  determination!  One  glance  at  his  bright, 
pleasant  face  completely  disarmed  my  resentment,  and  I 
heard  his  story  about  not  "findin'  the  mate,  and  goin'  round 
to  his  mither-in-lor's  own  house,  an'  gittin'  a  chicken  fur 


DISARMED.  451 

my  supper  that  he  and  his  mither-in-lor  had  picked  wid 
their  own  hands;  and  here  it  is,"  said  Jimmy,  "as  fat  as 
butther,  noo;  jest  look  at  the  beauthiful  crayther,  and  I'll 
cook  it  fur  yez  illigantly,  fur  yez  must  be  hungry."  And 
away  went  Jimmy  to  cook  the  chicken. 

Reader,  I  did  just  what  you'd  have  done  —  ate  the 
chicken,  and  heard  Jimmy,  tell  me  that  his  " mither-in-lor 
wuz  a  moighty  foine  woman." 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

T   was   after  I   had  eaten  my  chicken, 
and  more  than  an  hour  after  the 
sun  had  sunk    behind   the  line 
bluffs  that  marked  the  west 
ern   horizon,    that   Dr.    Parker 
and    Don    Rafael    made    their 
appearance  in  camp,  the  latter  with 
a  fine,  fat  antelope  which  he  had  shot 
that  afternoon,  tied  to  his  saddle  behind 
him. 

Their  arrival  was  the  signal  for  Jimmy's  disappearance. 
He  was  gone  like  a  will-o'-the-wisp  before  they  had  fairly 
dismounted,  and  when  wanted  to  take  our  animals  to  the 
corral  he  was  nowhere  to  be  found.  We  were  much  pro 
voked  at  this  utter  disregard  of  our  known  wishes  and  com 
mands,  and  were  determined  to  prevent  in  future,  if  possible, 
Jimmy's  unlicensed  rambles. 

While    the    doctor  was   swearing   at    the    necessity   that 

(452) 


A  SUGGESTION.  453 

demanded  his  presence  in  the  culinary  department  of  the 
camp  in  consequence  of  Jimmy's  absence, —  Don  Rafael 
having  gone  with  the  animals  to  the  pueblo, —  to  our  sur 
prise,  and  the  doctor's  great  delight,  the  miscreant,  looking 
as  sweetly  innocent  as  if  entirely  unconscious  of  having 
transgressed  any  command,  appeared  upon  the  scene  of 
action  accompanied  by  his  mother-in-law,  and  immedi 
ately  proposed  to  relieve  the  doctor  of  the  by  no  means 
self-imposed  task  he  had  undertaken  of  preparing  our 
supper.  Never  before  did  a  hungry  man  surrender  a  fry 
ing-pan  and  its  contents  with  as  much  resigned  equanimity 
as  did  the  doctor  on  this  occasion.  While  Jimmy  was 
engaged  in  finishing  the  cooking  of  our  supper,  his  mother- 
in-law,  seated  at  a  little  distance,  quietly  surveyed  the 
operation  with  no  small  degree  of  curiosity. 

As  I  lay  in  my  blankets  cogitating  upon  Jimmy's  persist 
ent  disobedience,  and  endeavoring  to  invent  some  means  of 
curing  him  of  his  troublesome  infatuation,  an  idea  suddenly 
occurred  to  me,  which  I  proceeded  to  put  in  practice  upon 
the  return  of  Don  Rafael  from  the  pueblo.  Calling  him  to 
me,  I  said,  in  Spanish,  "Go  and  make  yourself  as  agree 
able  as  possible  to  the  woman  there.  I  want  to  see  what 
effect  your  making  love  to  her  will  have  upon  Jimmy." 

Don  Rafael,  who  apparently  liked  the  suggestion,  imme 
diately  approached  her,  and  commenced  a  conversation  in 
the  Zuni  tongue,  evidently  very  much  to  the  woman's 


454  L  0  VE-MAKING. 

satisfaction.  Jimmy  occasionally  stopped  in  his  operations, 
furtively  watching  the  pair,  and  plainly  showing  a  per 
turbed  state  of  mind;  while  it  was  equally  apparent,  from 
the  smiles  that  illumined  the  faces  of  the  couple  under  his 
espionage,  as  well  as  the  loving  intonation  of  their  voices, 
and  their  expressive  gestures,  that  Don  Rafael,  if  not  verg 
ing  upon  the  tender,  was,  at  least,  making  himself  very 
agreeable  to  the  woman. 

Now  Don  Rafael,  like  all  Mexicans,  possessed  a  most 
irascible  temper,  of  which  fact  Jimmy  was  well  aware, 
having  had  it  demonstrated  to  his  entire  satisfaction  on 
several  occasions;  consequently  he  stood  in  wholesome 
fear  of  rousing  the  slumbering  demon  in  the  Don's  breast; 
but  the  present  situation  of  affairs  was  getting  to  be  un 
bearable.  While  Jimmy  stood  watching  them,  Don  Rafael, 
perhaps  for  the  purpose  of  illustrating  more  clearly  some 
point  upon  which  the  conversation  had  turned,  took  the 
woman's  hand  in  his  own,  in  that  peculiar  manner  which 
speaks  more  plainly  than  words. 

This  was  the  "straw  that  broke  the  camel's  back,"  and 
induced  Jimmy  to  announce  "supper"  in  the  most  stento 
rian  tones,  which  summons,  being  unheeded  by  Don  Rafael, 
caused  Jimmy  to  angrily  exclaim,  in  a  tone  of  voice  that 
in  its  volume  would  have  done  credit  to  the  Cardiff  Giant, 
"Will  yez  be  afther  lavin'  the  woman  alone  thare,  an'  cum 
to  yer  supper,  an'  not  be  kapin'  it  round  all  the  night 


JIMMY  JEALOUS.  455 

long?"  The  fact  that  Don  Rafael  made  no  reply  to  the 
inquiry  did  not  tend  to  reassure  Jimmy  in  the  least,  much 
to  the  gratification  of  the  doctor  and  myself,  as  we  hoped, 
by  thus  rousing  the  "green-eyed  monster"  in  his  breast, 
to  provoke  a  quarrel  between  himself  and  the  "plidged 
object  of  his  affictions." 

After  waiting  a  few  moments,  and  no  one  offering  to 
partake  of  the  supper  which  he  had  prepared,  Jimmy 
approached,  and  in  most  affable  tones  inquired  for  my 
health  with  so  much  Irish  blarney  that  I  could  not  fail  to 
discover  the  "cat  under  the  meal,"  though  he  tried  hard  to 
conceal  it.  A  moment  later,  under  pretence  of  arranging 
the  blankets,  the  cat  was  let  out  of  the  bag,  for,  in  a  tone 
of  voice  intended  only  for  my  ear,  he  said, — 

"What's  he  spakin'  ter  her,  Juge?" 

Innocently  enough  I  inquired,  "Who?" 

"That  ould  black  divil,  Don  Rafael,"  said  Jimmy. 

I  replied,  after  listening  for  a  few  moments,  "O,  he's 
only  talking  nonsense." 

"But  what's  he  sayin'?"    asked  Jimmy. 

"O,  he's  only  telling  her  he  thinks  she's  a  handsome 
woman,  and  he'd  like  her  for  a  sweetheart." 

"An'  what  duz  she  say  ter  that,  sur?" 

"She  says  she  thinks  the  Mexicans  are  splendid  people, 
and  that  she'd  rather  have  a  Mexican  for  a  lover  than  any 
one  else  in  the  world." 


456  THE  GREEN-EYED  MONSTER. 

"Tlii  dirthy  ould  pig,"  said  Jimmy,  "thryin'  to  thraduce 
mi  characther  and  win  her  affictions  for  himsilf ;  he  can't 
do't,  though;  she's  thrue  to  me." 

"True  to  you,  Jimmy?  It  may  be  so,  but  it  don't  look 
much  like  it.  She's  making  an  assignation  with  him  now." 

o  o 

"What's  that?"  said  Jimmy,  staring  at  them  with  eyes  as 
big  as  saucers;  "what's  a  sassination?" 

"O,  nothing  but  an  agreement  to  meet  her  in  a  couple 
of  hours  for  the  purpose  of  taking  a  stroll." 

"Is  that  it?"  said  Jimmy.  "I'll  tache  the  dirthy  black 
divil  a  lisson,  at  thi  sassinatiou,  wid  rni  shot  goon,  that  ha'll 
rimimber  all  his  life  long,  bedad." 

"You'd  better  not  let  Don  Rafael  hear  that  remark,  Jim 
my.  He'd  shoot  you  quick  as  wink,  if  he  should  get  mad; 
and  he  has  as  much  ri°;ht  to  make  love  to  the  old  woman 

O 

as  you  have." 

"No,  sur,"  said  Jimmy;  "she's  mi  mither-in-lor,  an' 
she's  plidged  ter  me." 

"Well,  settle  it  between  you,  only  take  care  of  Don 
Rafael." 

"Juge,  will  yez  spake  ter  him  aboot  it?" 

"No,  Jimmy,  I  have  nothing  further  to  say  on  the  sub 
ject." 

Upon  which  Jimmy  turned  away  and  went  out  into 
the  darkness,  leaving  Don  Rafael  and  the  "mother-in-law" 
still  engaged  in  sweet  converse. 


A  COUNTER-IRRITANT.  457 

As  soon  as  the  doctor  and  myself  were  left  alone,  I  in 
formed  him  of  Jimmy's  engagement,  and  of  his  determina 
tion  to  marry  his  mother-in-law,  in  spite  of  all  opposition. 
At  first  he  was  disposed  to  be  incredulous,  and  to  regard 
the  whole  thing  as  a  joke;  but  upon  becoming  convinced 
that  with  Jimmy  at  least  it  was  a  reality,  he  saw  that  it 
would  be  likely  to  cause  us  great  annoyance  and  trouble 
should  he  persist  in  carrying  out  his  intention. 

"But,"  said  the  doctor,  "we  must  endure  it,  for  I  am 
satisfied  we  can  never  cure  it  unless  we  kill  him." 

I  most  certainly  deprecated  resorting  to  any  violent 
measures  in  attempting  to  prevent  the  exercise  of  his  pro 
pensity  to  fall  in  love  with  every  woman  whom  he  met, 
though  I  could  but  acknowledge  to  myself  that  Jimmy 
might  as  well  be  dead,  for  all  the  service  he  was  to  us  in 
his  present  nervous  and  dazed  condition.  After  consider 
ing  for  a  long  time  as  to  the  best  course  to  pursue,  a 
thought  struck  me,  and  turning  to  the  doctor,  I  asked  if 
he  had  in  his  medicine-chest  any  tartar  emetic. 

"Plenty,"  replied  the  doctor,  at  the  same  time  bursting 
into  a  hearty  laugh;  while  he  ejaculated,  "By  thunder! 
that's  a  capital  idea.  I  can  cure  him." 

"It's  best  not  to  be  too  hasty,  doctor;  but  if  worse 
comes  to  worst,  we  can  certainly  try  its  effect." 

"True.     There's  nothing  in  the  world  that'll  cure    love- 
sickness  so  quickly  as   a   counter-irritant,  administered   in 
58 


458  IGNORED. 

homoeopathic  doses.  There  isn't  a  particle  of  danger  in  it, 
and  I'll  guarantee  a  cure  for  the  malady." 

"Are  you  perfectly  sure,  doctor,  that  no  harm  can  result 
from  it?" 

4 'Of  course  I  am.  Only  let  me  know  when  you  want 
your  remedy  tested,  and  I'll  administer  it." 

Having  then  and  there  come  to  a  firm  determination  to 
prevent  the  further  growth  of  Jimmy's  affection  by  nipping 
it  in  the  bud,  the  doctor  and  myself  smoked  our  pipes, 
rather  amused  to  see  Don  Rafael  so  literally  fulfilling  or 
carrying  out  the  suggestion  that  had  been  made  to  him: 
while  in  our  mind's  eye  we  enjoyed  the  confusion  and  dis 
may  that  we  expected  would  ensue  upon  the  application  of 
our  proposed  treatment  to  Jimmy. 

The  "mother-in-law"  having  at  last,  greatly  to  our  grati 
fication,  signified  to  Don  Rafael  her  desire  to  return  to  the 
pueblo,  he  arose  and  accompanied  her. 

Scarcely,  however,  had  they  left  the  camp,  before  Jim 
my  appeared,  following  so  closely  upon  the  heels  of  Don 
Rafael's  departure  that,  to  say  the  least,  it  suggested  a 
suspicion  to  our  minds  that  he  might  possibly  have  been 
concealed  in  so  close  proximity  that  he  was  enabled  to 
witness  the  manner  in  which  his  "mother-in-law"  received 
the  attentions  of  the  Don. 

Striding  furiously  by  both  the  doctor  and  myself,  with 
out  deigning  to  notice  either  of  us  by  a  look  even,  Jimmy 


ALMOST  A  CATASTROPHE.  459 

approached  the  wagon,  and  drawing  from  it  his  "shot 
gun,"  proceeded  to  examine  it  with  the  air  of  a  man  deter 
mined  on  desperate  things.  After  apparently  satisfying 
himself  of  its  condition,  he  cast  a  hasty  glance  around  the 
camp,  and  addressing  the  doctor  and  myself,  who  were 
amused  spectators  of  the  scene,  said, — 

"Where's  the  ould  black  divil  gone?" 

The  doctor  smilingly  replied, — 

"If  you  mean  Don  Rafael,  you'll  find  him  up  at  your 
mother-in-law's,  Jimmy.  He  went  home  with  her." 

"Will,  sir,"  said  Jimmy,  "whin  he  retarns,  I  shall  in- 
throjuce  him  to  the  con  tints  ov  this  fowlin'-pace,  in  a  man 
ner  that'll  not  be  very  idifyin'  to  him." 

"I  wouldn't  do  that,  Jimmy,  because  the  Don  is  a  good 
shot,  and  he  will  certainly  kill  you  if  you  should  fail  in 
your  attempt." 

"Fail  in  mi  attimpt!"  said  Jimmy.  "Fail!  How  will 
I  fail?  The  ould  thafe  ov  the  world's  been  thryin*  to  thra- 
juce  mi  characther  to  mi  mither-in-lor,  an'  I'll  hev  his 
heart's  blood,  so  I  will,  bedad;  I'll  shoot  him  like  a  dog." 

At  this  moment  I  said, — 

"Jimmy,  I  hear  Don  Rafael  coming.  Hadn't  you  better 
put  up  the  gun  before  he  sees  it  in  your  hand?" 

With  a  bound  Jimmy  sprang  towards  the  wagon,  attempt 
ing  to  violently  force  the  gun  into  the  place  from  which  he 
had  drawn  it  at  the  bottom  of  the  wagon.  In  the  effort,  one 


460  LUCK  VS.  PLUCK. 

of  the  hammers  caught,  and  we  were  terribly  startled  by  a 
tremendous  report  as  one  of  the  barrels  was  discharged, 
seemingly  through  Jimmy's  body,  who  immediately  fell  to 
the  ground  uttering  the  most  terrific  yells,  as  he  kicked  and 
floundered  around  like  a  decapitated  hen,  crying,— 

"For  the  love  ov  God,  save  me,  docther.  I'm  kilt,  shure. 
Shot  through  mi  body.  Howly  muther!  I'm  bladin'  to 
dith.  It's  me  bowels  that's  prothrudiu',"  said  Jimmy, 
as  in  his  agony  he  seized  an  India-rubber  pillow  that  lay 
close  by  him. 

We  all  rushed  to  him  (Don  Rafael,  who  had  just  returned, 
included)  expecting  to  see  him  fearfully  mangled.  We  were 
first  surprised  at  finding  no  blood;  but  when  an  examina 
tion  revealed  the  fact  that  the  entire  charge  had  passed 
between  Jimmy's  body  and  his  arm,  without  touching  him 
anywhere,  and  that  the  only  damage  that  had  resulted  from 
the  explosion  was  a  bad  scar,  and  a  large  rent  in  his  flannel 
blouse,  our  wonder  and  astonishment  knew  no  bounds. 
We  all  agreed  that  Jimmy's  lucky  star  was,  as  usual,  in  the 
ascendant,  and  had  certainly  saved  him  this  time,  although 
he  would  not  believe  himself  unharmed  for  a  long  time; 
noi  would  he  then,  until  he  had  carefully  examined  all  his 
clothing  for  blood-stains,  as  well  as  made  a  close  and  ex 
tended  examination  of  each  particular  bone  in  his  body, 
*  and  satisfied  himself  that  they  were  sound  and  unbroken. 

Then  he  majestically  arose  from  the  ground,  and  casting 


EXPLANATIONS.  461 

a  withering  look  upon  Don  Rafael,  who  was  congratulating 
him  upon  his  fortunate  escape,  said,  "Ef  mi  bones  is  not 
bruk,  me  heart  is;  I  might  ez  will  bin  kilt  thin." 

"Why,  Jimmy,  what  do  you  mean?" 

"It's  mi  mither-iu-lor  I  mane,"  said  Jimmy,  bursting 
into  tears. 

"I  clon't  want  your  mother-in-law,  Jimmy;  I  was  only 
trying  to  entertain  her  while  you  were  busy.  She  looked 
so  lonely  sitting  by  herself,  and  was  waiting  to  see  you." 

"But  yez  squazed  her  hand,"  said  Jimmy. 

"O,  no,  Jimmy;  I  was  only  looking  «t  a  wart  on  it." 

"Is  that  so?  B'clad!  Don  Rafael,  you're  a  rale  gintil- 
man,  and  can  appryceate  a  gintilman's  faylins,"  said  Jim 
my,  as  he  grasped  Don  Rafael's  hand  in  both  his  own,  and 
shook  it  with  a  fervor  and  earnestness  almost  paralyzing 
in  its  effect,  quite  forgetting  in  the  excitement  caused  by 
the  reaction  in  his  feelings,  that  it  was  Don  Rafael's  blood 
that  he  was  thirsting  for  but  a  few  moments  before. 

Matters  having  been  arranged  to  the  entire  satisfaetion 
of  Jimmy,  we  all  retired,  but  were  hardly  ensconced  in 
our  blankets  ere  we  saw  Jimmy  rise,  and  silently  steal 
away  in  the  direction  of  the  pueblo.  We  did  not  disturb 
him,  but  allowed  him  to  go  his  way,  solacing  ourselves  with 
the  thought  that  though  he  might  build  his  "Castles  in 
Spain,"  they  would  exist  only  in  the  bright  clouds  with 
which  his  imagination  canopied  the  future. 


462  JIMMY  NOTIFIES  ME. 

The  next  morning  quite  early,  in  fact,  before  breakfast,  I 
was  waited  upon  by  Jimmy,  who  briefly  informed  me  "that 
under  the  exhisting  sarcumstances,  he  filt  it  to  be  his  duthy 
to  lave  mi  sarvice." 

As  I  had  expected  this,  I  told  him  that  I  would  talk 
with  the  doctor  in  the  course  of  the  day,  and  see  him  again. 

"I'm  roight  sorry  to  partwidyez,"  said  Jimmy,  "but 
mi  mither-in-lor  thinks  I  owe  her  some  ripotation  for  the 
loss  of  the  gurl,  an*  b'dad,  I'm  goin'  to  pay  it  wid  mesilf." 

"Very  well,  Jimmy.  I  shall  be  sorry  to  hear  that  im 
mediately  upon  leaving  you,  you  were  sold  to  the  Navajoes, 
as  a  ransom  for  the  girl." 

"How  d'ye  mane?     What  would  they  sill  mi  fur?" 

"You  know  that  the  cacique  told  me  that  the  relatives  of 
the  girl  demanded  of  him  that  he  should  require  you  to 
pay  what  the  ransom  of  the  girl  would  cost." 

"Yis,"  said  Jimmy;  "but  I  proved  mi  innocence." 

"Well,  if  you  did  that,  you  certainly  owe  the  woman  no 
reparation." 

"Will,  but  she  thinks  I  duz,"  said  Jimmy. 

"In  that  case,  it's  plain  to  me  that  there  is  some  object 
behind  all  this;  and  that  in  some  way  you  are  to  be  made 
to  suffer  for  not  protecting  the  girl  you  were  with ;  and  if, 
in  spite  of  all  that  has  been  said,  you  still  desire  to  remain 
here,  no  one  will  make  the  least  objection." 

"Thank  yez  fur  that,''  said  Jimmy,  as,  with  a  bow  and  a 


THE  MOQUIS  COUNTRY.  463 

scrape  he  moved  away,  as  happy  as  a  lark  at  the  idea  that 
he  had  at  last  convinced  me  of  the  propriety  of  his  remaining 
behind  among  the  Zunis,  a  proceeding  that  would  have  sub 
jected  him  to  no  danger  in  the  least,  but  ourselves  to  most 
serious  inconvenience. 

Scarcely  was  our  breakfast  over  before  the  cacique,  accom 
panied  by  two  members  of  his  council,  appeared  for  the  pur 
pose  of  escorting  us  to  the  festival,  which  was  to  commence 
at  noon. 

Sundry  toddies,  however,  together  with  a  smoke  from  the 
doctor's  big  pipe,  so  won  upon  the  old  man's  good-nature 
that,  at  my  request,  he  seated  himself  upon  one  of  our  camp- 
stools,  and  was  soon  deeply  engaged  in  giving  an  account  of 
the  wonders  of  the  Moquis  country  and  its  people. 

When  at  the  Apache  rancheria,  I  had  seriously  thought 
of  paying  this  interesting  and  curious  people  a  visit,  but  had 
been  prevented  from  carrying  out  my  design.  I  was,  there 
fore,  very  glad  of  this  opportunity  to  learn  something  of 
them  from  one  who  had  visited  their  villages,  and  whose 
knowledge  of  them  was  obtained  by  personal  contact. 

Taking  a  sip  from  his  glass,  and  a  few  whiffs  from  the 
pipe,  the  old  man  commenced,  in  the  low,  monotonous  tones 
that  he  always  assumed  in  his  narrations,  a  relation  of  the 
facts  embodied  in  the  information  herein  conveyed  to  the 
reader. 

The  Moquis  country  lies  to  the  north  and  west  of  the  Sao 


464  ITS  PEOPLE  AND  HOUSES. 

Francisco  Mountain,  and  not  very  far  from  the  Colorado 
Chiquito.  It  is  an  arid,  barren  country,  deeply  eroded  by 
floods,  and  largely  formed  of  steep  mesas,  volcanic  peaks, 
and  rocky  canons,  with  a  few  fertile  valleys  interspersed 
among  them. 

Their  villages,  of  which  there  are  seven,  are  built  upon 
the  very  edge  of  some  of  the  steepest  of  these  rocky  mesas, 
in  so  singular  a  manner  that,  at  a  little  distance,  it  is  impos 
sible  for  a  stranger  to  distinguish  them  from  the  rocks,  of 
which  they  appear  to  form  a  part.  The  first  three  of  these 
are  built  upon  a  bluff  of  solid  rock,  about  three  hundred  feet 
high  and  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  in  width,  and  are 
reached  by  steep  paths  and  by  steps  cut  into  the  rock  in 
such  a  manner  that  they  can  only  be  approached  by  persons 
on  foot. 

The  houses  are  built  of  stone,  are  generally  two  stories 
high,  and  are  laid  in  a  mortar  made  of  mud  which  is  brought 
from  the  valleys  below  upon  the  backs  of  men,  there  being 
no  soil  whatever  upon  the  rock.  In  form  they  are  similar 
to  those  of  Zuni,  entrance  to  them  being  by  ladders,  as  there 
are  neither  doors  nor  windows  in  the  lower  stories. 

The  first  and  largest  town  is  called  Harro,  and  contains 
a  population  of  about  two  thousand  persons.  All  the  towns 
or  villages  have  large  water-tanks,  or  reservoirs,  constructed 
upon  the  rock,  lined  with  masonry;  they  are  generally  five 
or  six  feet  in  depth,  and  are  used  for  collecting  and  hold- 


WONDERFUL   WATER-TANKS.  465 

ing  rain-water.  Below  each  of  these  large  tanks  are  smaller 
ones  similarly  constructed,  and  connected  with  those  above 
by  means  of  a  pipe,  through  which  water  is  conducted  for 
the  use  of  their  stock.  This  stock  consists  entirely  of 
sheep  and  goats,  which  are  driven  each  day  to  pasture,  the 
nearest  grass  being  six  miles  away. 

The  population  of  the  Moquis  villages  numbers,  it  is  sup 
posed,  something  over  six  thousand.  Their  government  is 
an  hereditary  one,  not  necessarily  descending  from  father  to 
son,  however,  but  any  blood  relation  may  be  selected  as  de 
termined  by  the  choice  of  the  people. 

Of  their  religious  belief,  the  cacique  knew  but  little.  They 
believed  in  a  great  father  who  dwelt  where  the  sun  rises, 
and  of  a  great  mother  who  lived  where  the  sun  sets.  She 
peopled  the  earth  by  bringing  from  her  own  home  nine 
things,  from  which  sprang  the  different  races  of  men.  First, 
the  deer  race;  second,  the  sand  race;  third,  the  water  race; 
fourth,  the  bear  race;  fifth,  the  hare  race;  sixth,  the  prairie- 
wolf  race;  seventh,  the  rattlesnake  race;  eighth,  the  tobacco- 
plant  race;  and  ninth,  the  reed-grass  race.  That  after  death, 
they  assumed  the  form  from  which  they  originally  sprang; 
thus  aiding  to  form  anew  the  decaying  elements  of  the 
earth. 

They  never  plough  or  irrigate  their  lands,  depending  en 
tirely  upon  the   natural  fall  of  rain;   their  only  agricultural 
implement  is  a  kind  of   hoe;    with  this  they  plant  corn, 
59 


466  VERY  SINGULAR  FACTS. 

beans,  onions,  melons,  pumpkins,  cotton,  and  a  species  of 
tobacco-plant  in  the  valleys  around  them.  They  also  knit, 
weave,  and  spin  very  nicely,  as  do  the  Zunis  and  the  others 
of  the  Pueblo  tribes. 

One  very  singular  fact  in  connection  with  the  Moquis  is 
deserving  of  especial  mention,  viz.  the  people  of  Harro, 
although  living  within  two  hundred  yards  of  another  large 
village, — the  whole  seven  of  these  villages  are  within  a 
radius  of  six  miles, —  speak  an  entirely  different  language 
from  those  of  the  remaining  six  villages,  and  seem  to  have 
preserved  their  manners  and  customs  intact,  as  well  as  their 
language,  for  centuries;  and  another  singular  fact  is,  that 
while  the  people  of  Harro  understand  and  can  converse  in 
the  language  spoken  by  the  people  of  the  other  villages, 
they  neither  understand  or  can  converse  in  the  language 
spoken  by  the  people  of  Harro.  With  these  and  many  more 
interesting  facts  did  the  old  cacique  while  away  the  morning 
hours;  but  as  I  was  accidentally  brought  into  contact  on  the 
following  day  with  a  couple  of  Moquis  who  came  directly 
from  Harro,  I  shall  give  the  reader  some  further  account  of 
the  manners  and  customs  of  this  singular  and  primitive  race 
in  a  succeeding  chapter. 

As  the  time  had  arrived  for  us  to  start  for  the  pueblo,  I 
asked  the  cacique  if  he  would  give  us  the  origin  or  history 
of  the  "Green-corn  dance,"  to  which  request  he  willingly 
assented,  and  gave  the  following  account. 


THE  GREEN-CORN  DANCE.  467 

As  soon  as  the  first  ears  of  maize  begin  to  ripen,  they  are 
plucked  by  women,  and  brought  to  the  high-priest,  who  alone 
possesses  the  right  to  strip  from  them  the  husks,  for  the 
purpose  of  ascertaining  the  degree  of  maturity  to  which  they 
have  arrived. 

After  the  ears  shall  have  obtained  a  certain  age,  if  the 
promise  for  an  abundant  crop  be  a  fair  one,  the  high-priest 
sends  criers  through  the  streets,  to  announce  to  the  people 
that  as  Montezuma  has  been  kind  to  them  and  given  them 
bountiful  crops,  they  must  assemble  upon  a  certain  day  at 
noon, —  specifying  a  particular  day,  — "and  render  unto  him 
thanksgiving  and  praise  for  having  so  kindly  provided  for 
their  comfort. ' '  This  was  the  day  he  had  appointed  for  that 
purpose,  and  the  doctor  and  myself  accompanied  him  to  the 
pueblo  to  witness  the  ceremony,  leaving  our  camp  in  charge 
of  Don  Rafael,— Jimmy,  as  usual,  being  absent. 

Upon  reaching  the  pueblo,  we  were  assigned  a  seat  of 
honor  by  the  side  of  the  cacique,  on  the  lower  terrace  of 
the  council  house. 

The  procession  soon  slowly  approached;  the  men  came  in 
single  file,  their  bodies  bent  almost  double,  as  though  borne 
down  by  the  immense  weight  of  the  load  of  maize  which  they 
were  pretending  to  carry  upon  their  shoulders.  Around  their 
loins  was  tied  a  small  blanket,  the  upper  portion  of  their 
bodies  being  entirely  naked,  and  painted  a  dark-red  color; 
their  arms  and  legs,  which  were  also  naked,  were  striped  with 


468  THE  PERFORMERS. 

red,  white,  and  green  paint;  around  each  arm  above  the 
elbow,  they  wore  a  band  of  cloth,  trimmed  with  the  tops  of 
the  pine-tree,  intermingled  with  red  pimento  berries,  while 
a  similar  necklace  encircled  their  necks ;  their  heads  were 
elaborately  decorated  with  eagles'  feathers. 

In  one  hand  they  carried  a  small  gourd,  in  which  were  a 
few  grains  of  dried  corn,  while  in  the  other  was  a  string, 
from  which  depended  a  number  of  gaayaves  tied  together  like 
a  bunch  of  cigars;  around  each  leg,  just  below  the  knee,  was 
fastened  a  band  from  which  depended  shells,  eagles'  claws, 
antelopes'  hoofs,  etc.,  while  from  their  shoulders  dangled 
the  skins  of  such  wild  animals  that  the  wearer  had  himself 
slain. 

One  of  the  men  had  with  him  a  "tombe,"  or  drum,  on 
which  he  occasionally  beat  in  the  most  frantic  manner, 
although  the  only  attempt  at  instrumental  music,  was  made 
by  drawing  a  notched  stick  swiftly  across  the  convex  half 
of  a  dried  gourd,  the  sound  of  which  was  supposed  to 
resemble  that  made  in  grinding  corn  upon  a  metatte. 

This  party  were  accompanied  by  three  members  of  the 
council,  whose  business  it  was  to  make  a  short  harangue  in 
front  of  each  house,  the  occupants  awaiting  their  coming 
upon  the  terraces,  and  bestowing  upon  them  maize,  which 
was  added  to  the  common  fund  provided  for  the  occasion. 

After  all  the  houses  had  been  visited,  the  party  sang  and 
danced  themselves  back  to  the  plaza,  where  -four  large 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  DANCE.  469 

camp-kettles  were  hung  over  fires,  in  each  of  which  maize 
was  boiling.  These  kettles  were  suspended  by  ropes  from 
four  poles,  about  five  feet  high,  which  came  together  at  the 
top;  the  poles  were  ornamented  by  twelve  ears  of  corn,  sup 
posed  to  represent  the  twelve  months  of  the  year.  Each  one 
of  the  kettles  were  tended  by  four  men,  dressed  similarly  to 
those  already  described,  their  bodies,  however,  being  solidly 
painted  in  white,  red,  green,  and  blue. 

These  men  were  supposed  to  represent  the  four  seasons, 
and  were  selected  for  their  sweet  voices  and  ability  to 
endure  fatigue,  being  expected  to  sing  their  hymns  of  grati 
tude  to  Montezuma, —  for  whom  this  boiling  maize,  the  first 
of  their  crop,  was  intended, —  all  the  while  beating  time 
with  a  corn-stalk  on  the  edge  of  the  kettle  around  which 
they  were  dancing. 

This  singing  and  dancing  continued  until  the  maize  was 
perfectly  boiled,  after  which  it  was  taken  from  the  ket 
tle,  placed  upon  the  fire  and  reduced  to  ashes,  which  were 
carefully  collected  by  members  of  the  council,  and  carried 
to  the  fields  and  sprinkled  upon  the  earth,  that  they  might 
purify  and  enrich  the  soil  for  the  crops  of  the  coming  year. 

This  ceremony  completed,  another  fire  was  lighted,  and 
the  kettles  refilled  with  maize;  this  was  boiled  and  distrib 
uted  among  the  populace,  and  then  ensued  a  scene  of  glut 
tony  and  excess  that  would  equal  that  displayed  at  a  coun 
try  parson's  donation  visit. 


470  ITS  ORIGIN  AND  II IS  TOUT. 

No  one  is  permitted  to  join  in  this  tUmce  who  has  not 
fasted  for  a  given  length  of  time,  and,  in  addition,  they  are 
required  to  thoroughly  cleanse  the  inside  of  the  body,  which 
is  done  by  the  free  use  of  fermented  liquors,  that  act  as  a 
cathartic.  This  practice  renders  them  better  fitted  to  sing 
their  hymns  of  praise  to  Montezuma,  as  well  as  to  enjoy 
the  feast  of  good  things  that  come  after. 

The  origin  of  this  dance  is  without  doubt  of  a  religious 
character,  and  seems,  with  the  "Buffalo  Dance,"  to  have 
been  handed  down  from  generation  to  generation  for  cen 
turies. 

We  very  much  regretted  that  we  could  not  witness  the 
celebration  of  this  latter  dance,  as  its  mysteries,  and  the 
peculiar  manner  in  which  it  is  performed,  are  said  to  be 
very  amusing. 

We  retired  from  the  scene  about  sunset,  and  upon  reach 
ing  our  camp  we  learned  from  Don  Rafael  that  Jimmy  had 
not  made  his  appearance  there  during  our  absence,  nor  luid 
we  seen  him  at  the  pueblo.  We  felt  that  his  remissness  w:\s 
becoming  so  flagrant,  that  we  must  at  once  adopt  some  means 
to  correct  it,  and  determined  to  administer  the  first  "correc 
tive  dose"  that  night. 

Of  all  the  dishes  that  our  camping  life  afforded,  none  so 
tickled  Jimmy's  palate  as  an  "Irish  stew,"  and  this  night 
Don  Rafael  had  prepared  a  savory  stew  of  antelope  for  our 
supper.  A  dish  of  it  was  carefully  tartarized  and  put  one 


TAETARIZED.  471 

side  for  Jimmy  when  he  should  return  to  the  camp,  while  the 
doctor  and  myself  speculated  on  the  probable  results. 

Some  hours  later  Jimmy  returned  in  a  remarkably  happy 
frame  of  mind,  having,  as  he  informed  us,  "injied  thi 
sight  ov  thim  naked  divils  widout  clothes  on,  caperin' 
round  wid  their  corn,  bitther  nor  he  vvud  a  rale  oukl  Irish 
jig,  fur  his  mither-in-lor  tould  him  they'd  hev  foine  corn 
thi  ensuin'  year,"  telling  us  at  the  same  time  that  he 
was  ''hungry  as  a  bear,  an'  could  ate  a  Navajoe  alive," 
whereupon  the  doctor  arose,  and  produced  the  stew  that  had 
been  so  carefully  saved  for  him,  much  to  Jimmy's  delight. 

A  few  moments  sufficed  to  finish  his  meal,  which  he  pro 
nounced  "viry  foine,"  and  shortly  afterwards  we  all  "turned 
in,"  and  awaited  further  developments,  which  the  reader 
will  find  *  ^counted  in  the  succeeding  chapter. 


CHAPTER    XXIX. 


OWLY  MUTHER!  it'sdyin'  I  am,"  were 
the  words  that  saluted  my  ears  about  mid 
night. 

There  was  no  response,  although  I  could  distinctly  hear 
Jimmy's  groans,  accompanied  by  the  most  violent  retching 
and  vomiting. 

Between  these  paroxysms  he  called  loudly  upon  each  one 

(472) 


SICKNESS.  473 

C 
of  us,  begging  us  to  "wake  up  an'  hilp  him,  fur  the  luv  o' 

God,  before  he  got  so  did  he    couldn't  call  us." 

At  last,  in  answer  to  his  frequent  calls,  the  doctor 
leisurely  arose,  and  going  to  Jimmy,  inquired  what  was  the 
matter. 

"Matther  anuf,  God  knows,"  said  Jimmy.  "I'm  dyin', 
docther;  an*  thare's  no  praste  to  absolve  mi.  Will  yez  be 
afther  givin'  mi  somethin'  to  aze  mi,  docther?" 

Here  another  violent  retching  spell  occurred,  after  which 
Jimmy  exclaimed,  "D'ye  say  that  now,  docther?  I'm  a  did 
mon;  in  liss  thin  tin  minnits  I'll  be  a  corps;  and  may  the 
blissid  Vargin  recave  rni  sowl,  for  there's  no  praste  to 
absolve  me  at  all,  at  all." 

The  doctor  here  requested  Jimmy  to  talk  less,  while  he 
proceeded  to  examine  him;  and  then,  calling  me  to  see 
him,  he  informed  me,  with  a  very  grave  face,  that  Jimmy 
was  suffering  from  a  severe  attack  of  "tartarus  emitticus 
cholera,"  which  he  much  feared  would  prove  fatal. 

This  announcement  caused  Jimmy  to  utter  a  terrible  groan, 
and  then  to  call  loudly  upon  the  saints  for  "protiction  from 
thi  awful  dezases  that  wuz  a  lyin'  hauld  ov  his  vitals." 

Kneeling  by  his  side,  I  commenced  an  examination,  and 
found  him  looking  pale,  and  evidently  very  much  frightened 
at  what  he  seemed  to  consider  the  near  approach  of  the  King 
of  Terrors.  After  a  few  moments  I  remarked,  "Jimmy,  I 
think  you  must  have  eaten  too  much." 


474  A   DIAGNOSIS. 

"Atin,  atin  too  much;  me  atin  too -much!"  said 
Jimmy.  "Do  I  look  like  a  mon  that's  atin  too  much?" 
and  here  another  violent  paroxysm  of  retching  seized  him. 
"May  the  saints  furgiv  yez,  docther,  fur  standin'  thare  an' 
seem'  a  human  craythur  pirish,  wiclout  liftin'  up  yez  hand 
to  save  him,  an'  on  his  weddin'-day,  too." 

"What's  that,  Jimmy?  Were  you  to  have  been  married 
to-day?  Who  to?"  asked  the  doctor;  "for  I  must  save 
you,  even  at  the  risk  of  nty  own  life." 

"Go  at  it  quick,  thin,  docther,  for  I've  not  more  thin  tin 
minnits  to  live.  Jist  look  at  that,  now,"  and  another  fit  of 
retching  came  upon  him.  Here  I  asked  Jimmy  if  he  felt 
qualmish. 

"No,  I  don't  fale  clamish  at  all;  but  I  fale  as  tho'  mi 
boots  had  cum  up  thro'  mi  stumick." 

Both  the  doctor  and  myself  assured  Jimmy  that  if  he 
could  go  to  sleep,  he  would  feel  better  by  morning;  and  at 
last  he  became  quiet,  and  sank  into  a  slumber,  from  which 
he  did  not  arouse  until  late  the  next  morning,  when,  pale 
and  ghastly,. he  informed  us  that  he  wouldn't  be  able  to 
"stir  from  his  bid  in  a  wake,"  at  which  statement  we  were 
much  rejoiced,  and  also  convinced  that  tartar  emetic  hath 
its  perfect  work. 

The  doctor  having  forbidden  Jimmy  to  rise  from  his  bed 
without  his  permission,  we  went  to  our  breakfast,  which  we 
relished  moftt  heartily,  notwithstanding  Jimmy's  doleful 


VISITORS. 


475 


remark,  that  it  was  "a  bruthal  thing  fur  min  to  ate, 
whin  a  human  craythur  lay  a  dyin'  widin  tin  fate  ov 
thim." 

About    noon    we    were    surprised    to     see     the     cacique 
approaching,  in  company  with  a  strange-looking  man,  whom 


WE    TREAT    JIMMY   FOR  A  NEW    DISEASE. 


we  at  once  recognized  as   an  American,  and  two  Indians, 
who  proved  to  be  Moquis. 

The  American  was  a  large,  powerful,  haggard-looking 
man  about  sixty  years  of  age,  with  a  long  white  beard  that 
flowed  over  his  breast,  and  reached  nearly  to  his  waist.  He 


476  A   STRANGER. 

wore  neither  coat  nor  vest,  while,  with  a  handkerchief 
bound  tightly  around  his  head,  and  his  shirt  covered  with 
blood,  he  presented  as  wild  and  crazed  an  appearance  as  it 
is  possible  to  imagine. 

The  instant  he  caught  sight  of  us  he  sprang  forward,  and 
grasping  our  hands,  exclaimed,  while  the  tears  rolled  freely 
down  his  cheeks,  "Thank  God,  friends  at  last!"  almost  at 
the  same  instant  falling  insensible  at  our  feet. 

A  hasty  examination  revealed  the  fact  that  the  man  had 
fainted  from  excessive  fatigue  and  hunger,  also  that  he  was 
suffering  from  an  ugly  arrow-wound  in  his  right  shoulder, 
which,  although  from  its  appearance  was  several  days 
old,  had  not  been  dressed,  and  must  have  become  very 
painful. 

While  the  doctor  was  administering  to  the  old  man's 
needs  and  comforts,  the  cacique  informed  me  that  the 
Moquis  had  found  the  man  wandering  near  the  Zuni  trail 
about  twenty  miles  from  their  villages,  and  as  they  could  not 
understand  what  he  wanted,  supposed  that  he  desired  to  go 
to  Zuni,  consequently,  had  guided  him  through. 

They  had  arrived  at  Zuni  during  the  morning,  and  as  no 
one  there  could  understand  who  he  was,  or  what  he  wanted, 
they  very  properly  had  brought  him  to  our  camp 

In  the  course  of  half  an  hour  he  had  so  far  recovered  as  to 
be  able  to  take  some  stimulants,  as  well  as  to  sparingly  par 
take  of  a  little  nourishment,  which  the  doctor  administered 


PARLEY  STEWARTS   SAD   STORY.  477 

from   time   to    time.     Later  in  the   day,  we    succeeded    in 
getting  from  him  his  sad,  sad  story. 

He  was  a  Missourian,  by  name  Parley  Stewart,  and  had 
left  his  home  two  months  before,  for  the  purpose  of  going  to 
Los  Angeles,  California,  by  the  thirty-fifth  parallel  route. 
Near  Los  Angeles  he  had  a  son  living,  whose  wife  and  child 
were  accompanying  him,  in  addition  to  which  his  own  wife 
and  six  children,  the  youngest  being  a  girl  thirteen  years  of 
age,  made  up  the  party,  in  all,  ten  persons:  four  grown  men, 
and  six  women  and  children. 

Their  household  effects  they  carried  in  four  cohered 
wagons,  each  one  being  drawn  by  two  mules;  and  without 
doubt  it  was  the  party  that  the  cacique  had  mentioned  to  ns> 
as  passing  Zuni  some  days  before  our  arrival  there,  and 
whose  camp  we  had  discovered  at  the  Carizo  Springs. 

They  had  met  with  no  accident  since  leaving  home ;  had 
passed  to  the  south  of  what  tjiey  had  supposed  to  be  the 
Moquis  country,  and  a  couple  of  days'  journey  beyond  it, 
without  seeing  any  signs  of  hostile  Indians,  when,  upon 
coming  to  a  beautiful  valley  abounding  in  fine  grass,  through 
which  ran  a  stream  of  clear,  beautiful  water,  they  deter 
mined  to  halt  for  a  few  days,  for  the  purpose  of  giving  their 
weary  animals  a  little  much-needed  rest. 

From  Mr.  Stewart's  description  of  the  place,  the  cacique, 
as  well  as  the  Moquis,  thought  that  it  was  without  doubt 
upon  one  of  the  tributaries  of  the  Colorado,  perhaps  upon 


478  A  LITTLE  EDEN. 

the  Colorado  Chiquito  itself;  for  he  described  the  valley  as 
very  large,  and  the  pasturage  fine;  magnificent  great  oaks 
were  scattered  throughout,  and  the  banks  of  the  stream, 
the  waters  of  which  were  clear  and  very  cold,  were  entirely 
free  from  underbrush,  yet  skirted  by  trees  of  great  size, 
which  afforded  a  most  refreshing  shade,  while  the  base  of 
the  rough  and  rugged  mountains  that  formed  the  setting  of 
this  jewel  of  the  desert,  seemed  to  be  covered  with  a  fine 
growth  of  pine,  cedar,  and  fir  trees. 

After  toiling  for  months  over  the  hot,  dry,  and  dusty  road 
across  the  plains,  exposed  to  the  burning  heat  of  a  solstitial 
sun,  is  it  any  wonder  that  this  quiet,  beautiful  valley,  with 
its  grateful  shade,  luxuriant  herbage,  and  cool  waters, 
seemed  to  the  tired  and  travel-worn  wayfarers  a  little  Eden, 
into  which  no  serpent  had  yet  intruded? 

Is  it  any  wonder  that  they  should  determine  to  pause  here 
for  a  while,  and  enjoy  the,  beauties  with  which  Nature's 
hand  had  so  lavishly  bestowed  her  good  gifts  ? 

It  was  in  this  delightful  spot  that  they,  with  one  accord, 
determined  to  pass  at  least  a  week,  in  order  that  they  might 
give  their  weary  and  well-deserving  animals  an  opportunity 
to  recruit  from  the  toils  of  the  past,  and  to  prepare  them 
selves  for  the  fatigues  of  the  future. 

The  first  night  one  of  the  sons  mounted  guard,  but  noth 
ing  disturbed  the  solitude  of  their  Eden.  This  was  con 
tinued  for  the  second  night,  and  in  the  morning  they  all 


ATTACKED  BY  APACHES.  479 

decided  that  it  was  a  useless  task,  to  keep  guard  while  they 
should  be  encamped  there.  They  would  therefore  abandon 
the  habit,  and  sleep  soundly  at  night,  the  better  to  enable 
them  to  bear  the  hardships  of  the  long  and  desolate  route 
they  must  travel  before  they  should  reach  the  golden  sands, 
vvhere  the  loved  one  was  anxiously  waiting  to  embrace  them. 

During  the  day  two  of  the  sons  went  out  hunting,  and 
returned  ere  nightfall  loaded  down  with  the  spoils  of  the 
hunt,  and  reporting  that  they  had  seen  no  trace  of  hostile 
foes. 

The  women  of  the  party,  having  spent  the  day  in  washing 
and  mending  the  clothing,  were  all  very  tired,  and  imme 
diately  after  partaking  of  their  supper,  retired  to  rest. 

Once  during  the  night  Mr.  Stewart  arose  and  replenished 
the  camp-fire,  which  had  been  kept  burning  brightly,  as  a 
precaution  against  wild  beasts;  but  seeing  nor  hearing  noth 
ing  unusual,  again  retired  to  rest. 

How  long  he  had  been  sleeping  he  had  no  means  of  know 
ing;  but  they  were  all  aroused  from  their  sound  slumber 
by  ihe  terrible  war-whoop  of  the  Apaches,  sounding  in 
their  ears  like  the  death-knell  that  it  proved  to  be,  and 
so  frightening  and  intimidating  them  all,  that  in  their  ter 
ror,  and  the  confusion  that  ensued,  they  knew  not  what  to 
do,  the  screams  of  the  terror-stricken  women  and  children 
but  adding  to  the  consternation. 

Springing  to  their  feet,  they  grasped  their  rifles,  utterly 


480  A  DESPERATE  DEFENCE. 

unconscious  of  the  direction  from  which  the  appalling 
danger  threatened  them,  although  they  had  received  a 
shower  of  arrows,  that,  in  their  fatal  and  well-directed  aim, 
had  laid  low  in  death  five  of  this  little  party:  Mrs.  Stewart 
the  elder,  the  daughter-in-law  with  her  infant,  and  two  of 
the  sons. 

Before  they  could  recover  from  the  horror  into  which 
this  murderous  attack  had  thrown  them,  the  terrifying  war- 
whoop  again  burst  upon  their  ears,  accompanied  by  another 
and  another  volley  of  arrows,  that  in  their  deadly  aim 
once  more  brought  death  upon  their  wings,  for  another 
daughter  fell  before  the  murderous  fire. 

o 

Mr.  Stewart  and  his  second  son,  who  thus  far  had  escaped 
unscathed,  in  the  mean  while  had  been  using  their  rifles 
and  revolvers,  though  firing  entirely  at  random,  for  up  to 
this  time  they  had  not  seen  an  Indian. 

Observing  that  the  bright  light  of  the  camp-fire  prevented 
him  from  distinguishing  any  object  beyond  its  immediate 
vicinity,  while  at  the  same  time  it  enabled  the  Indians  to 
distinctly  see  every  movement  in  camp,  Mr.  Stewart  ordered 
his  son  to  extinguish  it  if  possible.  This  he  attempted  to 
do,  by  separating  the  burning  brands.  While  engaged  in 
this  task,  a  shot  from  a  rifle  was  heard,  and  the  son,  crying 
out,  ' 'Father,  they've  killed  me!"  fell  dead  upon  the  dying 
embers  of  the  fire,  from  which  his  body  was  dragged  by  one 
of  his  sisters. 


HORRIBLE  MASSACRE.  481 

Mr.  Stewart  stated  that  the  moment  he  heard  the  rifle 
shot,  and  saw  his  son  fall,  he  gave  up  all  hope,  and  hurriedly 
telling  his  daughters  to  conceal  themselves  in  the  water 
behind  the  bank  of  the  river,  but  a  few  yards  distant,  where 
he  would  immediately  join  them,  he  discharged  the  remain 
ing  barrels  of  his  son's  revolver  at  the  Indians,  and  hastily 
abandoned  the  camp;  not,  however,  before  receiving  an 
arrow-wound  in  his  shoulder. 

As  soon  as  possible,  he  sought  the  friendly  river-bank, 
where  he  expected  to  meet  his  daughters. 

Upon  reaching  the  river,  he  failed  to  find  either  of  them; 
therefore  he  hastily  concealed  himself  as  best  he  was  able  in 
the  water,  and  while  lying  there,  he  both  heard  and  saw 
Indians  searching  for  him  in  all  directions.  He  managed, 
however,  to  elude  their  observation;  and  after  waiting  an 
hour  or  two,  ventured  forth  to  resume  the  search  for  his 
children,  which  he  was  obliged  to  prosecute  with  the  utmost 
oaution,  not  daring  to  call  upon  them,  lest  the  Indians  whom 
he  had  seen  at  work  plundering  and  destroying  his  camp 
should  overhear  him;  he  counted  twenty  of  these  human 
fiends  engaged  in  this  work  of  demolition,  but  could  see  nor 
hear  nothing  of  his  daughters. 

O  O 

Still  quietly  and  cautiously  pursuing  his  search,  he  waited 

until  the  Indians  had  completed  their  work  of  destruction, 

and  had  disappeared,  going  in  a  southerly  direction.     Then 

he  carefully  approached  the  spot  where  at  sunset,  with  his 

61 


482  A   HORRIBLE  SIGHT. 

family  around  him,  they  were  happy  iu  the  thought  that  they 
were  approaching  the  end  of  the  long  and  tedious  journey 
that  was  to  restore  at  once  a  husband,  brother,  father,  and 
sou  to  the  family  circle,  and  at  the  same  time  furnish  a  home 
for  him  and  his  in  their  declining  years. 

What  a  sight  met  his  horrified  gaze !  Upon  a  large  fire 
lay  the  nude  bodies  of  his  wife  and  six  children,  all  scalped, 
and  fast  being  reduced  to  ashes  by  the  flames  that  their  bod 
ies  were  feeding,  and  that  at  the  same  time  were  consuming 
the  woodwork  of  the  wagons,  with  which  the  bodies  had 
been  covered,  seemingly  for  the  purpose  of  adding  to  the 
intensity  and  power  of  the  flames. 

The  sight  completely  unmanned  him,  and  throwing  him 
self  down  upon  the  blood-stained  sward,  he  watched  the  fire 
feeding  upon  the  bodies  of  the  loved  ones,  with  neither  the 
ability  nor  disposition  to  attempt  to  stay  the  angry,  hungry 
tongues  that  were  fast  lapping  up,  not  only  his  household 
gods,  but  the  bone  of  his  bone  and  the  flesh  of  his  flesh, 
upon  whom  the  love  of  a  life-time  had  been  so  lavishly 
bestowed;  his  only  consolation  being  in  the  thought  that 
even  that  was  better  than  to  leave  their  bodies  to  be  torn 
asunder  and  devoured  by  wild  beasts. 

Daylight  found  him  still  gazing  upon  the  horrible  pyre, 
and  it  was  with  an  almost  fiendish  delight  he  saw  that  a 
few  charred  bones  and  a  little  handful  of  ashes  were  all  that 
remained  of  those  dear  ones,  who,  but  twelve  short  hours 


DESPAIR.  483 

before  were  full  of  life  and  hope,  and  looking  forward  with 
bright  anticipations  to  a  happy  home  by  the  broad 'waters 
of  the  blue  Pacific. 

Childless,  wifeless,  homeless,  and  heart-broken,  the  old 
man  sorrowfully  started  out  to  renew  the  now  almost  hope 
less  search  for  his  two  remaining  daughters,  but  no  trace 
of  them  could  he  anywhere  discover. 

Reluctantly  he  abandoned  the  search,  and  once  more 
returned  to  the  desolate  scene  that  he  had  left  within  the 
hour,  and  which,  as  he  said,  completely  fascinated  him 
by  its  terrible  reality.  Here  seating  himself  upon  an  o]d 
stool  that  he  found,  he  again  surveyed  the  scene. 

The  sun  shone  as  brightly,  the  cloudless  sky  was  as  blue, 
and  the  grass  as  green  as  it  was  the  day  before.  The  leaves 
of  the  same  magnificent  old  oak  rustled  in  the  breeze,  and 
the  little  birds  in  its  branches  as  gayly  carolled  forth  their 
sweetest  songs  of  praise ;  the  same  snow-clad  mountain-peaks 
coldly  arose  out  of  their  sea  of  verdure,  that  had  so  calmly 
looked  down  upon  the  happy  scene  of  a  few  short  hours 
before,  but  alas!  now  how  changed.  Was  it  not  a  horrid, 
horrid  dream  ? 

Convincing  himself  at  last  that  it  was  indeed  true,  he 
rose,  and  gathering  up  a  handful  of  the  still  warm  ashes, 
he  placed  them  in  his  tobacco-box,  and  prepared  to  leave 
the  spot  that  had  witnessed  the  termination  of  all  his  earthly 
happiness. 


484  FRIENDS. 

As  he  slowly  turned  away,  vainly  endeavoring  to  discover 
some  memento  of  the  dear  ones  that  might  have  escaped  the 
notice  of  the  fiends  who  had  so  ruthlessly  destroyed  his  all, 
his  eyes  fell  upon  a  little  coop  containing  some  chickens 
which  he  had  brought  with  him  from  his  old  Missouri  home, 
that  in  some  unaccountable  manner  had  been  left  behind 
by  the  savages.  He  went  to  it,  and  releasing  its  occupants, 
turned  them  loose  into  the  green  valley  that  they  might  not 
die  of  starvation  and  thirst ;  then  gathering  up  a  few  of  the 
fatal  arrows  that  had  brought  this  terrible  desolation  to  him, 
he  took  a  last  lingering  look  upon  the  scene  before  him,  and 
reluctantly  turned  away. 

Taking  a  trail  which  he, supposed  would  carry  him  to  the 
Moquis  villages,  he  left  the  valley  forever. 

How  he  passed  the  night,  or  where,  or  if  he  slept  at  all, 
he  could  not  tell;  but  the  next  morning  very  early  he  met 
the  two  friendly  Moquis,  who  gave  him  the  food  and  water 
which  he  so  much  needed,  and  kindly  conducted  him  to  the 
pueblo  of  Zuni,  a  three  days'  journey,  although  neither  party 
could  converse  save  by  signs.  Upon  arriving  there  he 
became  almost  wild  with  joy  at  the  sight  of  Americans,  and 
fainted  as  I  have  related. 

The  old  man's  grief  while  relating  his  story  was  heart 
rending,  and  during  its  recital  the  tears  ran  down  his  weather- 
beaten  cheeks  like  rain,  nor  did  he  make  any  effort  to 
restrain  them ;  and  so  contagious  was  his  sorrow  that  it  was 


THE  MOQUIS   GUIDES.  485 

impossible  to  prevent  the  tears  from  falling  from  our  own 
eyes. 

After  the  doctor  had  again  dressed  the  old  man's  wound, 
and  given  him  more  nourishment,  he  administered  to  him  an 
opiate,  and  in  a  short  time  we  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing 
him  in  a  quiet  slumber,  the  first  that  he  had  enjoyed  for  four 
days. 

Signifying  to  the  cacique  a  desire  to  have  some  conversa 
tion  with  the  Moquis  who  had  so  kindly  guided  Mr.  Stewart 
to  the  pueblo,  he  at  once  volunteered  his  services  as  an  in 
terpreter,  at  the  same  time  informing  us  that  he  was  not 
very  familiar  with  the  Moquis  dialect. 

Their  dress  was  similar  to  that  of  all  the  Pueblo  Indians, 
and  in  general  appearance  they  strongly  resembled  them, 
although  I  fancied  them  more  intelligent  looking,  their  faces 
having  a  frank  and  manly  expression;  in  fact,  save  in  dress 
and  complexion,  they  resembled  American  rather  than  Indian 
nationality.  They  had  in  their  possession  four  arrows  that 
Mr.  Stewart  had  given  them,  and  which  they  unhesitatingly 
pronounced  to  be  those  of  the  Tonto  Apaches,  a  statement 
that  afterwards  proved  to  be  true,  thus  fixing  this  horrible 
massacre  unquestionably  upon  that  band. 

I  was  much  surprised,  upon  offering  them  some  whiskey,  to 
have  them  decline  it,  also  to  learn  that  the  vice  of  drunken 
ness  was  unknown  among  them,  and  that  they  used  no  kind 
of  fermented  liquors,  notwithstanding  Neal  Dow  and  the 


486  MAREIAGE  CONTRACTS. 

Prohibitory  Law  were  strangers  to  them.  I  also  learned  that 
the  crime  of  murder  was  unknown  in  their  nation,  that  they 
never  made  war,  but  were  brave  and  valiant  when  attacked. 

At  home  the  Moquis  go  about  their  houses  naked,  breech- 
clout  and  moccasins  excepted.  Their  women  are  very  pretty, 
as  well  as  industrious,  and  have  a  manner  of  dressing  their 
hair,  which,  to  the  initiated,  proclaims  their  condition  in  life. 

If  unmarried,  they  do  it  up  in  two  inverse  rolls,  which 
gives  to  the  head  a  very  singular  appearance,  not  unlike  that 
of  having  horns ;  after  marriage,  it  is  worn  in  two  large 
braids  on  each  side  of  the  face. 

A  proposal  of  marriage  always  emanates  from  the  fair 
damsel  herself,  who,  after  selecting  the  happy  youth,  informs 
her  father  of  her  choice,  and  he  forthwith  proposes  to  the 
father  of  the  lucky  swain,  who  is  never  known  to  refuse  to 
sanction  the  choice. 

The  preliminaries  being  thus  happily  arranged,  the  young 
man  is  required  to  present  his  bride  with  two  pair  of  moc 
casins,  two  pair  of  fine  blankets,  two  mattresses,  and  two 
sashes,  which  latter  articles  are  considered  very  ornamental 
by  them  all.  The  young  woman,  in  her  turn,  is  obliged  to 
furnish  a  goodly  store  of  eatables  cooked  by  herself,  as  a 
proof  that  she  is  capable  of  making  home  attractive,  so  far 
as  creature  comforts  are  concerned,  and  then  the  marriage 
is  celebrated  with  dancing  and  feasting. 

This  union  continues  until  one  or  the  other  of  the  par- 


THEIR  DANCES.  487 

ties  become  dissatisfied,  when  the  marriage  between  them  is 
dissolved  by  a  joint  declaration  to  that  effect,  made  before 
the  cacique.  Should  there  be  children,  the  respective  grand 
parents  are  expected  to  provide  for  them. 

The  women  are  never  permitted  to  join  in  any  of  their 
dances;  the  place  that  would  naturally  seem  to  belong  to 
them  being  filled  by  young  men  dressed  to  represent  them. 

The  faces  of  the  dancers  are  always  covered  by  a  mask 
made  of  small  willow  twigs  peeled  and  curiously  interwoven 
together.  Those  worn  by  the  men  are  colored  a  dark  brown, 
while  those  worn  by  the  supposed  women  are  painted  a 
bright  yellow. 

Each  house  has  its  patron  saint  represented  by  an  ugly 
little  Aztec  image,  made  of  wood  or  clay,  gaudily  painted 
and  gorgeously  decorated  with  feathers.  These  images  are 
suspended  by  a  string  from  the  rafters  of  their  houses,  and 
are  supposed  to  exert  a  great  influence  for  weal  or  woe  over 
its  inmates. 

Every  village  has  an  estufa  underground,  or,  more  prop 
erly,  a  council-chamber,  which  is  used  as  a  public  room; 
here  the  people  are  wont  to  congregate,  to  sit  and  smoke 
and  talk  over  the  affairs  of  the  nation.  The  only  light  or 
air  is  obtained  from  a  scuttle  in  the  roof,  which  also  serves 
as  a  door. 

From  all  that  I  saw  or  could  learn  of  the  Moquis,  I  came 
to  the  conclusion  that  they  were  a  most  simple,  moral, 


488  THE  MOQUIS,  AS  A  PEOPLE. 

happy,  industrious,  and  very  hospitable  people,  and  without 
doubt  are  legitimate  descendants  of  the  Aztec  race. 

We  gladly  made  them  presents  of  such  articles  in  our 
possession  as  we  thought  would  please  them,  besides 
giving  them  a  good  supply  of  tobacco,  of  which  they  are 
extremely  fond;  and  they  left  us  very  happy,  and  feeling 
well  repaid  for  the  kindness  that  they  had  shown  to  Mr. 
Stewart. 

The  doctor  having  declared  that  there  was  no  longer  good 
reason  for  delaying  our  departure  from  Zuni,  and  being 
myself  convinced  that  I  could  endure  the  fatigue  of  travelling 
without  any  very  great  degree  of  inconvenience,  I  thought 
it  a  good  opportunity  to  tell  the  cacique  of  our  determination 
to  leave  Zuni,  which  I  did,  informing  him  that  we  expected 
to  start  on  the  following  day,  in  time  to  reach  El  Moro,  where 
we  intended  to  make  our  camp  the  first  night  out. 

The  cacique  expressed  many  regrets  at  the  idea  of  our 
leaving  so  soon,  which  I  have  no  doubt  were  somewhat 
mollified  by  our  presenting  him  with  a  bale  of  smoking 
tobacco,  as  well  as  the  large  pipe  which  he  had  so  much 
enjoyed  during  his  visits  to  our  camp. 

Thanking  us  many  times  over,  and  promising  to  see  us  in 
the  morning  before  we  should  start,  he  left,  assuring  us  that 
we  could  have  presented  him  with  nothing  that  he  so  much 
desired,  or  would  have  prized  more  highly. 

As  dinner  was  being  served,  Jimmy  put  in  an  appearance, 


ONCE  AGAIN.  489 

looking  a  little  pale  and  somewhat  woe -begone,  and  almost 
as  much  frightened  at  the  news  of  our  departure,  as  he  had 
been  the  night  previous  at  the  prospect  of  his  own  for  the 
4 'mysterious  realm." 

He  endeavored  to  persuade  us  to  tarry  another  day,  by  as- 

t 

suring  us  that  his  health  "wouldn't  parmit  'im  to  start  so 
soon  afther  a  most  dangerous  and  complicayted  dizase  like 
his  own  had  attacked  him,"  but  the  doctor  was  obdurate, 
and  assured  him  that  once  on  the  road  he  would  again  be 
entirely  well. 

Finding  that  nothing  he  could  say  changed  our  determi 
nation  to  start  on  the  following  morning,  he  began  to  mani 
fest  a  strong  desire  to  again  visit  the  pueblo;  a  desire  that 
both  the  doctor  and  myself  were  determined  to  prevent  his 
accomplishing,  if  possible;  to  which  end  the  doctor  slyly 
conveyed  into  Jimmy's  cup  of  tea  dose  number  two,  which 
he  unsuspectingly  drank. 

As  he  arose  from  his  supper,  he  announced  in  the  most 
careless  manner  possible,  that  he  "thaught  he'd  take, a  bit 
ov  a  thramp,  which  he  gissed  wud  make  him  fayle  all  the 
bitther,"  to  which  proposition  both  the  doctor  and  myself 
most  cheerfully  assented. 

As  he  was  about  starting  upon  his  "thramp,"  I  asked  him 
to  assist  Don  Rafael  in  packing  some  things  that  we  should 
not  again  require  before  our  departure. 

This  he  at  once  proceeded  to  do  with  an  alacrity  that 
62 


490  ITS   CAUSE. 

promised  well  for  the  speedy  accomplishment  of  the  task, 
but  alas ! 

"  The  best  laid  schemes  of  mice  and  men 
Gang  aft  agley," 

for,  long  before  the  task  was  finished,  Jimmy  lay  upon  the 
flat  of  his  back  assuring  the  doctor  that  "this  time  fur  thrue, 
he  was  a-dyin'  fur  shure." 

No  reasoning  had  any  effect  in  convincing  him  to  the  con 
trary,  no  assurances  seemed  to  quiet  him,  his  time  had  cer 
tainly  come,  and  said  he,  "If  yez  would  only  bring  to  mi 
bidside  mi  ould  father  and  inither  to  recave  mi  blessin', 
I'd  die  contint,  be  jabers." 

Assuring  him  that  if  it  were  possible  we  would  gladly  do 
it,  but  that  as  his  father  and  mother  were  in  Ireland,  we  did 
not  see  how  it  could  be  done,  he  declared  between  the  par 
oxysms  of  retching  that  "say-sickness  was  hilth  compared 
to  the  bastely  sufferin'  that  he  was  goin'  thro'  wid,"  and 
said  he,  "Docther,  I'd  die  contint,  if  ye'dtill  me  the  cause 
ov  it." 

To  wh'>h  request  the  doctor  gravely  and  unhesitatingly 
responded,  that  his  sickness  was  "undoubtedly  owing  to  the 
malarious  results  superinduced  by  too  frequent  and  undue 
exposure  to  the  deleterious  effects  of  the  Hesperian  ether 
while  in  an  unacclimated  physical  condition." 

"Howly  mother,"  said  Jimmy  —  retch  —  "is  all  — 
retch  —  that  —  retch  —  the  matther  wid  me  ?  —  retch  —  Thin 


SLEEP  AT  LAST.  491 

I'll  —  retch  —  die  fur  shure  —  retch  —  fur  I  can't  live  wid 
all  that —  retch  —  in  me  constitootion  —  retch  —  I'll  not 
survive  —  retch  —  an  hour." 

Some  time  after  the  most  violent  of  Jimmy's  paroxysms 
had  subsided,  we  left  him,  quite  well  satisfied  that  for  the 
night,  at  least,  we  had  reason  to  apprehend  no  further  trouble 
from  him. 

Upon  turning  our  attention  to  old  Mr.  Stewart,  whom  we 
found  still  sleeping  quietly,  the  doctor  remarked  that  sleep 
would  do  him  more  good  than  any  medicine ;  for  after  the 
terrible  shock  his  nervous  system  had  sustained,  it  was 
very  probable  that  at  his  advanced  age  he  would  never  fully 
rally,  but  long  before  he  could  by  any  possibility  reach  his 
old  Missouri  home,  strangers'  hands  would  have  to  perform 
the  last  sad  offices  that  could  be  performed  for  the  old  man 
on  earth. 

A  prediction  that  proved  but  too  true,  for  in  less  than 
two  weeks  the  old  man's  spirit  went  aloft,  to  join  those  of 
the  dear  ones  that  had  gone  before  from  the  beautiful  valley 
of  the  Colorado  Chiquito. 


CHAPTER    XXX. 


HE  first  faint  streak  of 
light  in  the  eastern  skies 
was  heralding  the  approach 
of  dawn,  when  my  eyes 
chanced  to  fall  upon  a  fig 
ure  bowed  down  and  de 
jected,  as  if  by  the  accumu 
lated  weight  of  misfortune 
and  grief,  over  the  smoul 
dering  embers  of  our  dying 
camp-fire.  So  still,  motionless,  and  white  did  it  seem  in  the 
gray  light  of  the  morning,  that  I  could  scarcely  realize  it  to 
be  a  breathing  object  endowed  with  life,  but  almost  fancied 
that  it  had  been  fashioned  from  pure  white  marble  by  the 
afreets  in  a  single  night,  and  placed  in  our  camp  that  it  might 
serve  as  a  crowning  surprise  on  this,  the  morning  of  our 
departure  from  a  country  which,  for  so  many  thousand  years, 
Nature  had  reserved  as  the  theatre  in  which  to  erect  the 

(492) 


MR.   STEWART.  493 

most  singular  and  stupendous  of  her  rnany  eccentric  archi 
tectural  designs. 

Rousing  myself  by  an  effort  from  the  dreamy,  unconscious 
state  in  which  I  was  lying,  I  was  soon  aware  that  it  was  the 
form  of  Mr.  Stewart,  sitting  bare-headed  and  in  his 
shirt-sleeves,  and  looking,  in  the  pale  morning  light,  far  more 
wan  and  sad  than  ever  before,  as  he  vainly  strove  to  obtain 
some  heat  from  the  warm  ashes  over  which  he  was  bending. 

Knowing  that  exposure  to  the  damp,  chill  air  of  the  early 
morning  would  be  anything  but  beneficial  to  him  in  his 
weak  physical  and  mental  condition,  I  quietly  rose,  and  while 
replenishing  the  fire,  ventured  to  suggest  that  he  should  try 
and  obtain  a  little  more  rest,  as  we  were  intending  to  start 
in  a  few  hours  for  the  Rio  Grande,  and  the  fatigue  incident 
to  the  journey  might  prove  too  much  for  him  without  a 
proper  amount  of  sleep. 

*  Journey?  journey?"  said  the  old  man,  looking  up  in  a 
bewildered  manner;  "they  have  gone  on  a  long  journey, 
and  they  sleep,  but  I  can't."  Taking  from  his  pocket  the 
little  box  he  had  brought  with  him  from  the  valley  of  the 
Chiquito,  he  said,  as  he  opened  it,  "Can  you  see  there  a 
wife  and  eight  children?  Yet  they  are  all  there;  to  me 
they  look  like  desolation." 

I  endeavored  to  cheer  him  by  assuring  him  that  he  was 
among  friends  who  would  see  that  he  was  comfortably 
provided  for,  and  who  would  not  leave  him  until  they 


494  A  MORNING   VISIT. 

had  procured  transportation  for  him  across  the  plains 
as  far  as  Westport  in  Missouri,  which  was  scarcely  a  day's 
journey  from  his  old  home.  He  interrupted  me  by  declar 
ing  that  he  had  no  home,  no  friends,  —  nothing  but  ashes. 

Referring  to  the  son  whom  he  had  started  to  join  in  Cal 
ifornia,  I  asked  if  he  would  like  to  go  to  him.  "Yes," 
said  the  old  man,  brightening  up,  "can  you  send  me  to 
Parley?"  I  promised  him  that  if,  upon  reaching  the  Rio 
Grande,  he  should  still  desire  to  do  so,  I  would  take  him 
with  us  to  La  Mesilla,  and  send  him  through  to  Los  Angeles 
by  the  overland  mail,  as  soon  as  the  doctor  should  pro 
nounce  him  able  to  endure  the  fatigue  of  the  journey.  This 
promise  seemed  to  afford  him  so  much  comfort,  that  he 
permitted  me  to  throw  a  blanket  over  his  shoulders  to 
protect  him  from  the  damp  air. 

After  a  little  further  conversation,  I  left  him,  and  pro 
ceeded  to  wake  the  doctor,  with  whom  I  paid  Jimmy 
a  morning  visit.  We  found  him  fast  asleep,  and  looking 
like  anything  but  the  fresh,  ruddy-cheeked  Irish  boy  of  the 
week  before.  Perhaps  the  doctor  and  myself  both  experi 
enced  some  compunctious  throbs  at  the  sight  of  his  pale 
face  and  sunken  eyes,  but  they  were  speedily  dissipated 
by  the  reflection  that  we  had  used  our  best  endeavors  to 
put  that  "tartar"  where  it  would  do  the  most  good,  and 
this  thought  went  far  towards  quieting  any  „  twinges  of 
remorse  that  assailed  us. 


WE  LEAVE  ZUNI.  495 

In  an  hour  we  had  completed  all  our  arrangements  for  an 
early  start.  Before  breakfast  was  over,  our  old  friend  the 
cacique  made  his  appearance  in  camp  with  a  couple  of 
attendants,  who  brought  with  them  a  fine  fat  lamb  nicely 
dressed,  together  with  a  generous  supply  of  fresh  vegeta 
bles  for  our  trip,  which  the  old  man  begged  us  to  accept, 
with  his  best  wishes  for  a  safe  and  pleasant  journey. 

As  we  had  been  told  of  some  singular  ruins  that  existed 
on  the  very  top  of  El  Moro,  we  desired  to  take  an  early 
start  in  order  to  visit  them.  The  cacique  informed  us  that 
they  were  so  ancient  the  Zunis  knew  no  tradition  concern 
ing  them. 

It  was  about  eight  o'clock  when  we  shook  hands  with 
the  cacique,  and  bade  him  adieu,  reluctantly  turning  our 
backs  upon  Zuni,  and  its  kind,  generous,  and  hospitable 
governor. 

In  consideration  of  Jimmy's  recent  illness,  he  was  per 
mitted  to  get  into  the  wagon,  and  to  ride  with  Mr.  Stew 
art,  while  the  doctor  and  myself  mounted  our  mules, 
and  followed  Don  Rafael,  who  was  already  some  distance  on 
the  road.  Indeed,  we  were  very  glad,  by  making  this  con 
cession  to  Jimmy,  to  have  him  leave  Zuni,  and  its  many 
charming  attractions,  without  causing  us  any  further  trouble, 
or  even  entering  a  protest  against  our  so  ruthlessly  tearing 
him  away  from  the  "objict  ov  his  affictions." 

We  had  been   some   hours   on    the  road   before  Jimmy 


496  JIMMY  SEEKS  CONSOLATION. 

ventured  a  word;  then  he  asked  Dr.  Parker  if  he  thought 
it  would  "be  a  lang  time  iutirely  befoore  he  recivered 
frum  thi  thryin'  ordael  he'd  bin  passin'  thru  wid  so 
racently?" 

The  doctor  assured  him  that  a  day  or  two  would  put  him 
all  right. 

"Aal  right  in  a  day  or  two,"  responded  Jimmy;  "don't 
I  kno'  that  thi  intire  cauz  ov  mi  sickness  wuz  thi  thort  ov 
bein'  partid  frum  thi  objict  ov  mi  affictions,  an'  thi  attimpt 
to  bring  mi  mind  to  the  siperation?  It's  a  heart-rindiu' 
thing,  docther,  fur  a  mon  wid  all  the  sinsible,  dilikit,  and 
complaycated  falins  like  miself,  to  part  wid  two  ov  the 
swatest,  tinderist  craythurs  in  thi  world,  in  thi  thryin' 
manner  that's  bruk  mi  heart  intirely,"  to  which  statement 
the  doctor's  only  reply,  as  he  rode  away  from  the  wagon, 
was,  "You're  a  fool,  Jimmy,  and  I  don't  want  to  hear  any 
more  on  the  subject." 

Foiled  in  his  attempt  to  draw  the  doctor  into  a  discussion 
of  the  matter  which  lay  so  near  his  heart,  Jimmy  turned  to 
Mr.  Stewart,  and  for  the  next  hour  regaled  him  with  a 
lengthy  account  of  the  "thrials  an'  sufferin's  ov  two  fond 
hearts,"  to  which  dissertation  the  old  man  apparently  paid 
but  little  attention,  and  Jimmy  was  afterwards  heard  to 
remark,  that  he  "detisted  a  mon  who  couldn't  apprayciate 
the  thrials  and  throbles  ov  another  person  who  suffered 
aiqually  wid  himsilf." 


GAME.  497 

It  was  some  time  after  we  had  forded  the  Rio  de  Zuni, 
and  while  we  were  threading  the  little  canon  of  black  met- 
amorphic  rock  through  which  it  ran,  that  we  heard  the  sharp 
ring  of  Don  Rafael's  rifle,  and  in  a  short  time  we  saw  him 
coming  towards  us,  bearing  before  him  upon  his  saddle  one 
of  the  finest  specimens  of  the  wild  turkey  I  ever  saw ;  its 
plumage  was  perfectly  magnificent,  and  its  body  as  fat  as  the 
pine  buds  could  make  it.  The  exclamations  of  delight  at 
sight  of  this  beautiful  bird  caused  Jimmy  to  slip  from  his 
seat  in  the  wagon,  and  before  we  were  aware  of  his  presence 
he  was  by  our  side,  and  saluted  us  with  the  remark,  by  way 
of  reply  to  the  unqualified  admiration  with  which  both  the 
doctor  and  myself  were  regarding  it,  "It  may  be  a  foine 
bird  fur  this  counthry;  but  beclad,  in  ould  Ireland,  in  thi 
County  Cork,  they  have  wild  tarkeys  ez  big  ez  two  ov  'im." 

While  Jimmy  was  engaged  in  this  rhapsody  upon  the  wild 
turkeys  of  "ould  Ireland,"  I  dismounted,  and  telling  him  to 
take  charge  of  my  mule,  took  a  seat  in  the  wagon  by  the  side 
of  Mr.  Stewart.  Jimmy  was  evidently  much  disconcerted  at 
this  arrangement,  and  gave  me  a  look  so  full  of  sorrow  and 
disappointment  that  I  was  half  tempted  to  abdicate  in  his 
favor,  but  consideration  for  the  poor  old  man  at  my  side  de 
cided  me  to  remain  where  I  was,  and  thus  give  him  a  respite 
from  the  volubility  of  Jimmy's  tongue. 

It  was  nearly   half-past  three  o'clock  in   the  afternoon 
before  we  arrived  in  the  shadow  of  El  Moro ;   and  here  we 
63 


498  THE  ASCENT  OF  EL  MORO. 

made  our  camp  in  «lose  proximity  to  the  beautiful  spring 
which  I  have  described  in  a  previous  chapter,  and  beneath 
the  shade  of  the  giant  pines  and  cedars  that  for  so  many 
years  had  sung  their  mournful  requiem  for  the  departed 
glories  that  formerly  crowned  the  summit  of  this  mighty 
rock. 

Don  Rafael  immediately  started  to  ascertain  if  any  path 
or  means  of  ascent  to  the  top  of  the  rock  could  be  found, 
while  the  doctor  and  myself  prepared  for  the  undertaking, 
leaving  Jimmy  and  Mr.  Stewart  to  get  supper  and  pro 
tect  the  camp  during  our  absence.  Our  guide  soon  returned, 
and  reported  that  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  rock  he  had 
found  a  very  narrow,  but  he  thought  accessible  path  or  es 
carpment  which  led  to  the  top,  though  he  much  doubted  if 
with  my  broken  arm  I  should  be  able  to  accomplish  it.  The 
doctor  expressed  himself  favorable  to  my  making  the  attempt, 
however,  and  we  started,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  I  had 
solemnly  promised  myself  at  Zuni  to  abandon  all  attempts 
at  ascending  until  I  could  learn  to  descend  with  some  degree 
of  propriety. 

The  path  was  very  steep,  and  exceedingly  slippery,  but 
after  half  an  hour's  hard  toil  we  arrived  upon  the  summit  of 
El  Moro.  Here  our  eyes  were  regaled  by  a  sight  which 
repaid  us  for  the  labor  and  fatigue  of  the  ascent. 

To  the  north  and  southeast,  stretching  into  illimitable  space, 
lay  the  magnificent  Sierra  Madre  range,  its  base  effectually 


THE   VIEW  FROM  ITS  SUMMIT.  499 

concealed  by  a  long  line  of  foliage,  and  surmounted  by  snow- 
clad  peaks,  that  seemed  to  resemble  fleecy  clouds  reposing 
upon  lofty,  rocky  islands  which  rose  from  out  a  sea  whose 
dark-green  waves,  gracefully  undulated  by  the  summer 
breeze,  appeared  to  lovingly  embrace  and  kiss  their  rugged 
sides  as  they  stretched  far  away  in  the  distance.  To  the 
south,  extending  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach,  peaks, 
mounds,  and  mesas  rose  one  above  the  other,  over  which  the 
beautiful  purple  haze  had  thrown  a  veil  so  filmy  and  light, 
that  while  it  toned  down  and  tried  to  conceal  the  rugged 
barrenness  of  the  country,  clothing  it  with  an  indescribable 
charm  and  nameless  beauty,  it  magnified  and  brought  into 
bold  relief  every  canon,  every  gorge,  every  rocky  ridge,  in 
delightful  contrast  to  which  appeared  here  and  there  charm 
ing  bits  of  prairie,  their  bright  green  surface  dotted  with 
the  sombre  foliage  of  magnificent  cedars  and  spreading  oaks. 
To  the  west  stretched  an  unbroken  line  of  high  cliffs, 
elevated  mesas,  volcanic  peaks,  and  desert  solitudes,  over 
which  the  foot  of  civilized  man  never  yet  trod,  while  occa 
sionally  could  be  seen  the  grayish-white  surface  of  an  alkali 
plain,  upon  some  playa  of  which,  the  descending  sun  cast  its 
glittering  light,  reflecting  back  its  rays  with  a  faithfulness 
and  intensity  that  made  it  resemble  a  huge  mirror  quietly 
reposing  in  its  rough  setting,  or  some  silvery  lake  whose 
waters  were  undisturbed  by  a  single  ripple;  the  whole 
scene  forming  a  picture  never  to  be  forgotten. 


500  EUINS  UPON  EL  MORO. 

After  admiring  for  a  time  the  beautiful  view  around  us, 
we  commenced  our  search  for  the  ruins  upon  this  aerial  ele 
vation.  The  top  of  the  rock  itself  we  found  an  almost  flat 
surface,  upon  which  lofty  pines  and  cedars  were  growing,, 
some  of  them  centuries  old.  The  ruins  were  discovered 
after  a  little  search,  near  the  southern  portion  of  the  mesa; 
and  judging  from  their  extent  and  general  character,  they 
once  formed  the  home  of  a  large  and  industrious  population. 

There  are  two  distinct  sets  of  these  ruins  existing  here, 
standing  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  each  other,  and  sep 
arated  by  a  large  fissure  or  canon  in  the  rock  itself.  These 
towns  had  evidently  once  been  precisely  alike,  showing  now 
the  same  form,  as  well  as  construction  and  material  used. 
Their  sides  conform  as  nearly  as  possible  to  the  four  cardinal 
points,  and  are  in  the  form  of  a  rectangle  three  hundred  and 
twenty  feet  in  length,  with  two  sets  of  rooms  on  three  sides 
of  the  rectangle,  and  were  evidently  three  stories  high. 

The  walls  are  faced  with  a  hard,  close-grained,  gray  stone, 
varying  in  thickness  from  three  to  eight  inches,  and  about 
twelve  inches  in  length ;  the  back  or  filling  being  a  kind  of 
rubble  masonry,  strongly  cemented  with  mud  mortar. 

The  general  style  of  the  masonry  is  similar  to  that  found 
in  the  ruins  of  the  pueblo  Pintado,  although  they  lack  much 
of  the  finish  "and  general  beauty  of  detail  ascribed  to  those 
ruins.  1  should  imagine  that  there  could  be  hardly  an  ex 
isting  doubt  but  that  they  were  erected  by  the  same  people 


SINGULAR  CUSTOM.  501 

and  about  the  same  time  as  those  found  in  the  Canon  de 
Chaco. 

The  growing  lateness  of  the  hour  warned  us  that  we  had 
but  little  time  to  spare  for  further  explorations  if  we  would 
reach  the  plains  below  us  that  night,  and  neither  of  us  had 
any  particular  fancy  to  spend  the  night  on  the  top  of 
El  Moro. 

Before  leaving,  however,  we  found  some  very  pretty  spec- 


A   DRINKING   VESSEL   FROM   ZTTNI. 


imeus  of  pottery- ware,  beautifully  painted,  and  entirely  dif 
ferent  in  style  and  color  from  anything  we  had  yet  seen. 
One  thing  that  struck  both  the  doctor  and  myself  as  being 
particularly  worthy  of  note  in  connection  with  these  ruins, 
was  the  immense  quantity  of  broken  pottery  we  found  here. 
The  earthen-ware  from  a  dozen  pueblos  seemed  to  have 
been  collected  at  this  point  and  broken,  there  being  huge 


502  WHAT  HUMBOLDT  SAYS. 

piles  of  it  scattered  over  the  raesa,  in  proximity  to  these 
ruins. 

Of  the  many  questions  that  this  sight  suggested,  not  one 
could  we  answer  in  a  manner  satisfactory  to  ourselves. 
What  could  have  induced  this  people  to  have  sought  so 
lofty  and  almost  inaccessible  a  site  for  their  town?  How 
did  they  procure  water,  and  could  they  have  depended 
entirely  upon  the  rain  for  their  supply?  From  whence 
came  the  large  quantity  of  broken  pottery  with  which  the 
ground  is  strewn  in  all  directions,  and  for  what  purpose  was 
it  thus  broken  ?  Who  should  answer  these  and  many  other 
questions  that  suggested  themselves? 

Humboldt,  in  his  celebrated  "Essays  on  New  Spain," 
locates  the  residence  of  the  Aztecs  during  the  twelfth  century 
as  being  "between  the  thirty-fifth  and  thirty-seventh  par 
allels  north  latitude,  and  the  one  hundred  and  ninth  and 
one  hundred  and  twelfth  degrees  west  longitude."  If  this 
location  is  correct,  all  doubt  as  to  the  builders  of  these  ruins 
is  at  an  end  In  any  event  they  discover,  not  only  in  design 
and  material  used,  but  also  in  their  superior  workmanship, 
a  style  of  architecture  far  beyond  the  capacity  of  the  pres 
ent  inhabitants  of  New  Mexico,  either  Indian  or  Mexican. 

Gregg,  who  was  the  first  to  call  attention  to  these  ruins, 
in  his  work  on  "The  Commerce  of  the  Prairies,"  refers  to 
the  ruins  of  the  Casas  Grandes  near  the  Gil  a,  and  to  those 
ol  the  Canon  de  Chacoand  Rio  de  Chelly,  as  being  the  work 


PRESCOTTS  CONCLUSION.  503 

of  one  people ;  boldly  announcing  that  the  assertions  of  the 
historian  Claverigo  are  correct  when  he  says  that  "all  the 
ruins  existing  in  New  Mexico  and  Arizona  are  of  undoubted 
Aztec  origin." 

On  the  other  hand,  Prescott,  in  his  "Conquest  of  Mexico," 
says,  "It  is  true  that  these  remains  discover  a  race  of  men 
superior  to  the  natives  of  New  Mexico  of  the  present  day, 
but  where  are  the  evidences  of  the  very  high  stage  of  civil 
ization  to  which  the  Aztecs  are  said,  by  historians,  to  have 
obtained  in  Anahacu  ?  Where  are  the  evidences  of  a  me 
chanical  knowledge  equal  to  that  which  must  have  been  ex 
ercised  in  the  construction  of  the  temple  of  Xochicalco,  or 
the  palaces  of  Tescotzinco,  and  the  colossal  calendar  stone  in 
the  capital?" 

In  a  word,  Prescott  seems  to  think  that  all  of  these  ruins 
are  of  Toltec  rather  than  Aztec  origin,  or  are  the  work  of 
their  contemporaries,  the  Tezcucans. 

Professor  Bell,  an  English  writer,  who  travelled  through  a 
portion  of  this  country,  in  his  work  on  "North  America," 
devotes  considerable  space,  and  discusses  to  some  length  the 
question  as  to  who  were  the  builders  of  these  ruins.  He 
considers  the  town-building  Indians  as  the  skirmish  line  of 
the  Aztec  race  when  it  was  united  and  in  the  full  plenitude 
of  its  power.  He  says:  "The  rich  bottom-lands  of  the  Gila 
were  occupied  and  placed  under  irrigation ;  the  valley  of  the 
Rio  Verde,  Salinas,  and  other  streams,  were  taken  posses- 


504  SPECULATIVE. 

sion  of ,  and  the  Apaches  driven  into  the  mountains;  these 
savages  were  undoubtedly  driven  into  the  mountains  by  the 
Aztecs  as  barbarous  hordes,  whom  they  found  it  impossible 
to  subdue,  who  continually  harassed  them  and  obliged  them 
to  invent  means  to  protect  their  settlements  against  sur 
prise;  thus  they  introduced  the  art  of  building  houses  of 
stone  and  adobe ;  they  chose  the  most  commanding  positions 
upon  the  summits  of  the  mesas,  overlooking  large  tracts  of 
fertile  bottom-lands,  and  added  story  to  story  in  such  a  man 
ner  that  a  few  resolute  defenders  could  keep  almost  any 
number  of  assailants  at  bay." 

He  thinks  that  these  town-builders  gradually  pushed  their 
way  north,  until  they  were  stopped  by  the  immense  canons 
of  the  Colorado  and  Flax  (Colorado  Chiqnito)  Rivers,  thence 
striking  east  they  established  the  kingdom  of  Cibola,  and 
pushing  still  farther  into  the  wilderness  of  what  now  is  the 
Navajoe  country,  they  built  the  large  towns  in  the  Cafion  de 
Chaco,  and  in  the  valley  of  the  Rio  de  Chelly,  and  then  by 
following  up  the  head-waters  of  the  San  Juan,  finally  came 
to  the  beautiful  valley  of  the  Rio  Grande. 

Here  they  found  such  unusual  facilities  for  their  settle 
ments,  that  they  crowded  in,  in  great  numbers,  gradually 
working  their  way  down  from  the  north,  until  the  valley 
became  so  densely  populated  that  they  found  it  no  longer 
necessary  to  live  in  fortified  towns  for  mutual  protection. 

If  this  be  the  correct  theory,  the  fact  that  no  such  struc- 


: 


THE  DECAY  OF  THE  AZTECS.  505 

tures  as  we  have  described  are  to  be  found  in  the  valley  of 
the  Rio  Grande,  is  thus  easily  accounted  for. 

The  Abbe  Domenech  is  of  the  opinion  that  many  of  these 
ruins  show  an  undoubted  Toltec  origin,  and  that  they  were 
built  before  the  invasion  of  their  land,  some  time  about  the 
twelfth  century.  He  says:  — 

"All  these  towns  are  so  ancient  that  no  Indian  traditions 

* 
of  the  present  races  make  any  mention  of  them.     The  banks 

of  the  Rio  Verde  and  Salinas  abound  in  ruins  of  stone 
dwellings,  and  fortifications  which  certainly  belong  to  a 
more  civilized  people  than  the  Indians  of  New  Mexico.  They 
are  found  in  the  most  fertile  valleys,  where  traces  of  former 
cultivation  and  of  immense  canals  for  artificial  irrigation  are 
visible.  The  solidly-built  walls  of  these  structures  are 
twenty  or  thirty  yards  in  length,  by  forty  or  fifty  feet  in 
height;  few  of  the  houses  are  less  than  three  stories,  while 
all  contain  small  openings  for  doors  and  windows,  as  well 
as  loopholes  for  defence  from  attacks." 

His  theory  in  relation  to  the  disappearance  of  the  immense 
population  that  formerly  inhabited  the  country  is,  that  it 
was  owing  in  a  great  degree  to  a  wonderful  change  in  the 
configuration  of  the  soil ;  moist  and  fertile  valleys  becoming 
barren  solitudes,  thus  forcing  the  inhabitants  to  emigrate  to 
other  regions. 

After  indulging  in  many  theories  and  much  speculation 
regarding  these  wonderful  ruins  stretching  over  the  vast 
64 


506  CAUSES  WHICH  LED  TO  IT. 

extent  of  country,  from  the  Canon  de  Chaco  on  the  north, 
to  the  Casas  Grandes  in  Chihuahua,  on  the  south,  the 
Abbe  says:  — 

''These  vast  monuments  of  New  Mexico  and  Arizona  are 
known  to  but  few  travellers;  consequently,  but  few  writers 
have  speculated  about  their  origin.  Certain  it  is  that  all  the 
pueblos  of  this  wilderness  are  of  an  incontestable,  homoge 
neous  character;  they  are  the  work  of  a  great  people,  of  an 
intelligent  nation,  whose  civilization  was  far  superior  to 
that  of  the  actual  tribes.  But  the  question  is,  what  became 
of  this  vast  population  who  have  left  the  laud  covered  with 
such  numerous  and  wonderful  constructions  ? 

"It  is  known  that  all  agglomerations  of  men  and  families, 
on  settling  in  a  new  land,  build  their  dwellings  in  wooded 
parts,  or  near  streams,  in  order  to  ensure  these  indispensable 
elements.  Many  of  this  population  were  suddenly  deprived 
of  wood  and  water. 

"Perpetual  droughts  followed  the  clearing  of  the  woods, 
compelling  the  inhabitants  of  high  plateaus  to  emigrate  into 
the  plains;  when  rain  failed,  the  wells  and  cisterns  dried  up, 
and  the  horrors  of  thirst  drove  the  people  from  their  abodes. 
Both  rivers  and  their  sources  dried  up.  I  have  known  a 
multitude  of  rivers  in  both  Texas  and  Arizona  which  have 
ceased  to  flow;  some  for  centuries,  others  only  within  a  few 
years,  and  the  banks  formerly  gay  with  verdure,  plants, 
flowers,  and  trees,  have  now  disappeared  under  heaps  of  sand, 


DECLINE  OF  MONTEZUMAS  EMPIRE.         507 

and  present  a  scene  of  desolation.  The  springs  and  rivers 
of  the  plains  always  flow  over  a  pebbly  bed,  never  over  a 
muddy  one;  the  waters  are  capricious,  and  often  intermit 
tent,  appearing  and  disappearing  from  the  soil,  to  appear 
and  lose  themselves  again;  many  alter  their  course,  or  cease 
to  flow  altogether,  while  others  suddenly  rise  in  the'  midst 
of  a  desert  land. 

"On  the  other  hand,  the  soil  of  these  regions  is  often  cov 
ered  with  agate,  jasper,  chalcedony,  petrified  trees,  and 
masses  of  arenaceous  lava,  which,  descending  from  the  hills, 
absorb  the  water  of  creeks  and  their  sources,  fill  up  the  beds 
of  streams,  and  render  lands  barren  and  dry  which  at  one 

time  were  watered  and  fertile. 

j» 
"When  these  phenomena  take  place,  the  people  that  dwell 

in  the  country  are  naturally  compelled  to  flee  from  these 
newl}T-made  deserts,  which  become  the  abodes  of  sickness, 
famine,  and  death,  and  go  to  seek  a  more  favored  land. 
These  compulsory  emigrations  must  have  been  frequent,  to 
judge  from  the  traces  the  population  have  left  behind,  not 
withstanding  the  ranks  of  the  emigrants  must  have  been  fear 
fully  thinned  by  exposure,  hardships,  and  misery. 

"If  to  all  these  natural  causes  of  dissolution  are  added  in 
testine  war,  the  difficulty  of  forming  new  establishments,  the 
decline  of  Moutezuma's  dominion,  and  its  complete  annihi 
lation  under  the  Spanish  sway,  it  does  not  appear  necessary 
to  invent  a  different  nation  to  account  for  the  works  of  art 


508  INDIAN  INSURRECTION. 

and  civilization  of  which  the  remains  cover  these  solitudes  of 
America,  merely  because  their  successors  have  less  genius, 
energy,  or  enterprise. 

"The  Zunis  and  other  tribes  still  dwell  in  pueblos  similar 
to  those  we  have  described;  and  it  is  probable  that  to  their 
ancestors  the  construction  of  these  gigantic  edifices  ought  to 
be  attributed." 

By  the  extracts  here  given,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  origin 
of  these  extensive  and  really  wonderful  ruins  found  scat 
tered  broadcast,  as  it  were,  throughout  this  most  marvellous 
country,  is  still  a  question  of  much  doubt.  No  data  exists 
among  the  archives  of  New  Mexico  calculated  to  throw  any 
light  upon  the  subject ;  all  the  records  of  the  Territory  pre 
ceding  the  year  1680  were  destroyed  by  the  Indians  in 
their  successful  insurrection  against  the  conquerors  in  that 
year;  and  it  was  not  until  1695,  that  the  Spaniards  again  oc 
cupied  the  country,  although  in  1692  Curro  Diego  de  Bargas 
Zapata  managed  with  a  large  force  to  penetrate  as  far  as 
the  pueblo  of  Zuni,  but  finding  the  Indians  too  numerous 
for  him  to  retain  possession  of  it,  was  obliged  to  again  return 
to  El  Paso. 

During  my  residence  in  the  Territory,  I  spent  much  time 
in  endeavoring  to  ascertain  something  more  definite  concern 
ing  the  builders  of  these  ruins  and  their  fate  than  was  afforded 
by  the  very  meagre  knowledge  to  be  derived  from  people 
who  were  residents  of  the  Territory ;  but  so  few  persons  had 


REFLECTIONS.  509 

ever  visited  them,  or  cared  to  brave  the  dangers  naturally 
following  an  attempt  to  penetrate  into  the  home  of  the  bar 
barous  tribes  who  roam  over  this  immense  range  of  terri 
tory,  together  with  the  fact  that  there  is  absolutely  no  scrap 
of  written  history  to  be  found  in  existence,  previous  to  the 
year  1680,  made  my  attempts  quite  futile. 

The  whole  subject  is  shrouded  in  an  impenetrable  veil  of 
mystery,  although  upon  an  examination  of  the  ruins  them 
selves,  I  became  fully  convinced  that  they  were  of  undoubted 
Aztec  origin.  There  is  but  little  question  that  those  found 
upon  the  Gila,  and  upon  the  Casas  Grandes,  in  Qhihuahua, 
are  more  ancient  than  the  others  described  in  this  work,  and 
were  probably  erected  by  the  Toltecs  or  their  contempora 
ries.  This  opinion  was  founded  more  upon  conjecture  and 
speculation  than  upon  any  tangible  proofs  which  the  exami 
nation  afforded;  nor  have  I  ever,  since  my  return,  learned 
anything  to  cause  me  to  change  the  opinion  then  formed. 
There  they  stand,  magnificent,  though  decaying  monuments 
of  the  energy,  skill,  and  civilization  of  a  mighty  people  who 
flourished  but  a  few  hundred  years  since,  yet  have  now  no 
history  save  the  crumbling  evidences  of  their  works,  to  tell 
us  of  their  rise  and  fall. 

Does  not  the  sad  fate  of  these  nations  furnish  us  who 
to-day  journey  over  the  deserts  which  their  civilization  and 
industry  caused  to  "blossom  as  the  rose,"  ample  material 
for  reflection? 


CHAPTER    XXXI. 


HE  next  morning,  just  aa 
the  glorious  beams  of  the 
rising  sun  were  gilding  the 
lofty  turrets  of  El  Moro, 
we  resumed  our  journey 
towards  La  Mesilla. 

Emerging  from  its  beau 
tiful  valley,  we  commenced 
the  slow  and  laborious  as 
cent  of  the  western  slope 
of  the  Sierra  Madre  range.  For  miles  our  road  lay  through 
a  thick  growth  of  stunted  pines  and  cedars,  until  we  finally 
reached  the  summit  of  the  mountain  range.  Here  we  could 
but  pause  for  a  few  minutes,  to  view  the  magnificent  prospect 
presented  from  the  lofty  elevation  of  the  Navajoe  Pass;  and 
then,  urging  our  animals  rapidly  forward,  we  commenced 
the  descent  of  the  eastern  slope,  in  hopes  to  reach  the  cool, 

(510) 


OFF  FOR  THE  RIO  GRANDE.  511 

sparkling  waters  of  the  Agua  Frio  *  in  season  to  make  its 
banks  our  camping-place  for  the  night.  We  were  some  five 
miles  distant  from  our  old  camping-ground,  when  Don  Rafael 
proposed  that  he  should  make  a  circuit  through  the  forest 
in  search  of  game,  and  join  us  after  we  should  have  arrived 
in  camp.  We  willingly  assented  to  his  proposition,  and  he 
soon  disappeared  among  the  thick  growth  of  pines  at  our 
left,  while  we  drove  on,  reaching  the  camping-ground  about 
an  hour  before  sunset. 

We  had  scarcely  arrived  when,  scanning  the  horizon  with 
my  field-glass,  I  discovered  a  horseman  toiling  wearily  up 
the  steep  acclivity  in  the  direction  of  our  camp.  I  watched 
him  with  some  curiosity,  for  a  stranger  travelling  alone  was 
an  anomaly  rarely  seen  in  that  country.  After  satisfying 
myself  that  he  was  journeying  in  a  direction  that  would 
bring  him  to  our  camp,  I  ordered  Jimmy  to  prepare  sup 
per  for  another,  informing  the  doctor  that  we  should  soon 
have  company  for  the  night.  This  information  caused 
Jimmy  to  loudly  protest  against  "paoples  goin'  a-visitin' 
in  sich  a  God-forsaken  counthry  as  that  widout  givin' 
warnin'  ov  their  comin'  at  all,  at  all!" 

The  stranger  seemed  to  be  carelessly  riding  along,  until 
he  caught  sight  of  the  smoke  from  our  camp-fire;  then,  paus 
ing  a  few  moments  to  settle  any  doubt  which  its  appearance 
might  have  suggested,  he  suddenly  put  spurs  to  his  horse 

*  Sometimes  called  "Agua  Azul,"  or  "Blue  Water." 


512  A  STRANGER  IN  THE  DISTANCE. 

and  galloped*  rapidly  towards  us.  As  he  approached,  we 
had  an  opportunity  to  note  his  personnel. 

He  was  a  large,  powerfully-built  man,  about  forty  years 
old ;  his  long  black  hair  hung  low  upon  his  broad  and  mas 
sive  shoulders;  a  full,  brown  beard,  keen,  black  eyes,  and  an 
open,  generous  countenance uwere  the  distinguishing  charac 
teristics  of  his  features.  He  was  dressed  in  a  full  suit  of 
buckskin,  gayly  fringed  and  ornamented,  which  proclaimed 
him  to  be  a  hunter  or  scout;  around  his  waist  was  a  United 
States  cavalry  belt,  from  which  protruded  the  handles  of  a 
pair  of  navy  revolvers,  as  well  as  that  of  a  huge  hunting- 
knife  of  the  "Jim  Bowie"  pattern;  balanced  exactly  across 
the  pommel  of  his  Mexican  saddle  was  a  superb  Kentucky 
rifle,  so  perfectly  poised  that  it  seemed  as  though  a  breath  of 
wind  might  displace  it.  He  was  mounted  upon  a  magnifi 
cent  black  stallion,  whose  long  silky  mane  and  tail  at  once 
attracted  Jimmy's  attention,  and  he  informed  Mr.  Stewart 
that  the  horse  looked  like  the  horses  of  "ould  Ireland 
more'n  anything  he'd  seen  since  he'd  been  in  thi  counthry." 

Riding  up  to  the  spot  where  we  were  standing,  the  stran 
ger  courteously  bade  us  "Good-evening,"  and  carelessly 
throwing  one  leg  over  the  pommel  of  his  saddle,  said,  in 
answer  to  the  invitation  to  share  our  camp,  "Wall,  yes. 
strangers,  I'll  jest  do  that,  because  five  is  better  nor  one 
under  some  circumstances,  and  this  is  one  off  'em.  I  struck 
the  fiesh  trail  of  Apaches  down  below  this  mornin',  and 


BEAN. 


513 


I've  been  ridin'  Major  here  pretty  lively  to  git  up  through 
the  pass  yonder  before  'em,  for  they're  pinted  this  way.  I 
reckon  you'll  be  pretty  sure  to  see  'em  along  here  if  you 
don't  tell  that  Irishman  o'  yourn,  to  put  out  his  fire  there." 
Unsaddling  his  horse,  and  carefully  tying  him  with  our 


GKOUP    OF    APACHES. 

animals  to  the  wagon,  he  briefly  informed  us  that  he  was 
one  of  Old  Bonne ville's*  scouts,  and  was  on  his  way  to  the 
pueblo,  to  see  if  the  Zunis  could  be  induced  to  join  the 

*  Referring  to  Colonel  Bonneville,  U.  S.  A.,  at  that  time  in  command  of 
tho  Military  Department  of  New  Mexico. 
65 


514  THE  NEWS  HE  BRINGS. 

United  States  forces  in  a  campaign  against  the  Navajoes,  who 
of  late  had  made  themselves  very  troublesome  to  the  settlers 
on  the  Rio  Grande  by  their  depredations.  Early  that  morn 
ing  he  had  come  upon  a  fresh  trail  of  what  he  supposed  to 
be  Coytero  Apaches,  which  he  had  followed  far  enough  to 
ascertain  that  its  direction  led  to  this  pass,  through  which 
they  must  cross  the  Sierra  Madre  range;  but  he  reckoned 
that  "five  Americans,  even  if  one  of  'em  was  an  Irishman, 
was  enough  to  whip  the  whole  party." 

The  news  which  the  scout  brought,  unpleasant  though  it 
was,  produced  a  remarkable  effect  upon  Mr.  Stewart:  from 
a  listless,  feeble  old  man,  with  one  foot  almost  in  the  grave, 
he  suddenly  became  young  once  more;  and  his  quick  step, 
the  firm  intonation  of  his  voice,  and  his  flashing  eye  seemed 
to  speak  as  plainly  as  words  could  say,  that  in  the  event  of 
a  fight,  he  would  prove  a  most  valuable  ally. 

Borrowing  the  doctor's  rifle,  he  petted  and  caressed  it 
as  he  would  a  child,  lavishing  the  most  endearing  epithets 
upon  it,  and  hugging  it  fondly  to  his  bosom.  So  singular 
were  his  actions  that  they  attracted  the  attention  of  the 
scout,  who  viewed  with  so  much  curiosity  his  manner  that 
I  briefly  explained  to  him  the  circumstances  attending  Mr. 
Stewart's  presence  in  our  camp. 

"The  old  man's  jest  achin'  for  a  fight;  and  he'll  have  it, 
too,  as  sure's  my  name's  Sam  Bean,"  said  the  scout. 
"They're  plucky  cusses;  if  there's  a  few  scalps  to  be  made 


JIMMY  PROTESTS.  515 

out  of  it,  them  Apaches  —  but  we  kin  giv'  the  red  devils 
as  good  a  lickin'  here,  as  well  —  holloa!  — there  comes  a 
Mexican,  by  thunder!"  said  he,  abruptly  breaking  off 
from  his  remarks,  as  his  quick  eye  detected  Don  Rafael 
approaching  in  the  distance. 

Upon  explaining  to  him  that  it  was  our  guide,  Don  Rafael, 
he  exclaimed,  "What,  Rafael  Orrantia  from  Albuquerque; 
he's  a  good  man  —  worth  a  dozen  common  Mexicans  any 
where  you  can  put  him;  he'll  fight  Injuns  like  the  devil, 
with  only  half  a  show."  Just  at  this  point  Don  Rafael  rode 
up,  and  the  greeting  between  the  two  was  a  most  cordial 
one.  I  briefly  informed  him  of  the  news  Sam  had  brought, 
and  without  a  moment's  hesitation,  he  remarked,  "We'd 
best  be  prepared  for  them." 

We  hastily  partook  of  our  supper,  paying  no  attention  to 
Jimmy's  remarks  relative  to  having  no  "hot  wather  to  wash 
the  dishes  in,"  or  at  his  grumbling  concerning  "min's  aitin', 
an'  Injuns  all  round  'em,"  until  the  scout,  turning  to  him, 
exclaimed,  "Shet  yer  yawp,  you  infernal  red-mouthed  Irish 
man,  or  I'll  let  daylight  through  that  thick  skull  o'  yourn 
in  jest  two  minutes." 

This  outbreak  so  surprised  and  confounded  Jimmy  that 
he  scarcely  spoke  for  an  hour,  meekly  performing  his  duties 
about  the  camp,  and  contenting  himself  with  casting  furtive 
and  by  no  means  loving  glances  at  Sam,  who  was  too  busy 
conversing  with  Don  Rafael  to  notice  him. 


516  PREPARATIONS  FOR  A  FIGHT. 

By  this  time,  twilight  had  faded  into  darkness;  not  a  star 
was  to  be  seen  in  the  heavens,  which  seemed  to  be  covered 
with  a  thick  veil  of  murky  clouds ;  so  intense  was  the  dark 
ness,  that  we  could  scarcely  distinguish  objects  in  camp 
only  a  few  feet  distant.  Upon  going  to  the  spot  where  Mr. 
Stewart  was  sitting,  I  found  him  in  a  state  of  the  greatest 
excitement,  with  his  head  inclined  forward  as  if  to  catch  the 
first  sound  that  should  indicate  the  coming  of  the  Indians. 

The  nature  of  the  man  seemed  entirely  changed  by  the 
prospect  of  an  opportunity  to  avenge  the  horrible  massacre 
of  his  family.  He  seemed  to  have  forgotten  everything  save 
a  desire  for  revenge;  and  the  only  reply  I  could  obtain  to 
my  questions  was,  "Let  'em  come,  I'm  waiting  for  'em." 

Every  precaution  had  been  taken  to  give  the  Indians  a 
fitting  reception:  our  animals  were  securely  fastened  to  the 
wagon,  from  which  the  cover  had  been  removed  lest  its 
white  surface  should  betray  our  position ;  our  rifles  had  been 
carefully  examined,  revolvers  reloaded,  belts  filled  with  car 
tridges,  and  there  seemed  to  be  nothing  now  to  do  but 
await  their  approach. 

The  deathlike  stillness  which  prevailed  was  unbroken 
save  by  the  murmur  of  the  little  stream  as  it  peacefully  me 
andered  through  its  bed  of  lava,  or  by  the  uneasy  tramp  of 
our  animals;  when  suddenly  Mr.  Stewart,  who  had  been 
peering  out  into  the  darkness,  raised  his  rifle  to  his  shoulder 
and  fired.  Before  the  smoke  had  cleared  away  from  the 


THE  FIRST  SCALP.  517 

muzzle,  he  dropped  the  breech  to  the  ground,  exclaim 
ing,  ''There's  one  devil  gone,  any  way." 

"What  do  you  mean,  you  old  fool,  you,  shooting  like 
that?  If  you  don't  care  a  dern  for  your  old  scalp,  there 
may  be  men  here  as  does  for  ther'n,"  said  the  scout,  who 
with  Don  Rafael,  as  the  click  of  the  lock  fell  upon  their  ears, 
sprang  forward  in  a  vain  endeavor  to  prevent  the  old  man 
from  firing. 

"I  killed  him,"  said  Mr.  Stewart,  curtly. 

"Killed  who?     What  do  you  mean?"  asked  the  scout. 

"The  Indian  there." 

"There  warn't  no  Injun  there;  and  if  there  had  have 
been,  it  stands  to  reason  you  couldn't  have  seen  him,  it's  so 
all-fired  dark." 

"But  I  did  see  him,  and  shot  him,"  said  Mr.  Stewart. 
"Come  with  me,  and  see."  And  the  two  disappeared  in 
the  darkness. 

They  returned  in  a  few  moments,  Mr.  Stewart  bringing 
with  him  the  fresh,  bleeding  scalp  of  an  Indian,  which,  after 
presenting  it  for  our  examination,  he  coolly  proceeded  to 
fasten  to  his  belt. 

"He  hed  a  bead  on  that  feller,  sure,"  said  Sam.  "Thun 
der,  but  his  eyes  are  keen,  though.  Why,  I  couldn't  see 
nothin'  out  there,  and  Sam  Bean's  eyes  hain't  no  slouch 
nother,  on  the  plains.  The  old  man  went  straight  to  the 
spot,  not  more'n  thirty  feet  off,  and,  borrerin'  my  knife,  afore 


518  A  DESPERATE  ATTACK. 

I  knowed  what  he  was  a  doin'  on  he  had  the  red  devil's 
scalp  a  holdin'  it  up  in  my  face;  tain't  no  Christian  way  o' 
fightin',  though  I  don't  blame  the  old  man,  for  he's  had 
troubles  enuf  with  them  infernal  cusses  to  provoke  a  saint ! 
That  feller  was  a  scout,  I  reckon,  and  he'd  got  pretty  close 
to  head-quarters,  tew;  we'd  better  be  on  the  lookout,  for  the 
sound  of  that  rifle '11  bring  'em  down  on  us  like  wolves  on  a 
carcass,  and  no  knowin'  how  close  they  may  be  now." 

Scarcely  had  the  words  been  spoken  when  a  yell  as 
though  from  a  thousand  demons  filled  the  air,  and  a  shower 
of  arrows  fell  around  us;  fortunately,  however,  doing  no 
harm.  We  returned  their  fire  with  a  volley  from  five  good 
rifles,  but  in  the  almost  Stygian  darkness  which  prevailed, 
we  could  not  tell  whether  our  shots  were  effective  or  other 
wise.  Another  shower  of  arrows,  a  confused  trampling  of 
horses'  feet  mingled  with  yells  and  shouts,  a  volley  from  our 
revolvers,  and  then  a  moment's  quiet.  I  hastily  cast  my 
eyes  around,  and  saw  all  of  our  party  save  Mr.  Stewart  and 
Jimmy.  Another  volley  of  arrows,  and  again  the  fearful 
war-whoop  resounded  in  our  ears. 

"All  right,  they  fired  too  much  up,"  said  Don  Rafael, 
just  as  the  quick,  sharp  ring  of  a  rifle  far  in  advance 
of  us  was  heard,  followed  by  one,  two,  three  shots  from  a 
revolver. 

"It's  the  old  man  and  the  Irishman  gone  right  in  among 
'em,  by  thunder!"  said  the  scout.  Again  their  yells  and 


JIMMY    WANTS  HELP.  519 

shouts  of  defiance  filled  the  air,  accompanied  by  a  shower  of 
arrows,  immediately  followed  by  answering  shots  from  our 
revolvers,  together  with  the  braying  of  mules  and  the  neigh 
ing  of  horses,  who  seemed  to  have  combined  together  in 
their  frantic  efforts  to  break  loose.  Indeed,  they  succeeded 
in  dragging  the  wagon  some  little  distance,  which  had  the 
effect  of  causing  most  lusty  cries  for  "Hilp!  Hilp!  "  to  pro 
ceed  from  the  confused  mass  of  legs  that  surrounded  it. 
Again  a  voice  which  we  recognized  as  Jimmy's,  was  heard 
calling,  "Hilp,  in  thi  name  ov  thi  Blissed  Yargin,  hilp,  for 
the  mules  are  a-kickin'  me  to  dith." 

The  scout,  turning  towards  him,  said,  in  a  low  voice, 
"Sarves  yer  right,  yer  blasted  fool;  yer  ought  to  be  kicked 
to  death  by  mules;  an'  ef  yer  so  much  ez  peep  once  more, 
I'll  blow  yer  through,  sure's  my  name's  Sam  Bean." 

Again  the  ring  of  a  rifle  far  in  advance  sounded  clear  and 
sharp  on  the  night  air,  followed  by  a  shriek,  which  plainly 
told  that  it  had  not  been  fired  in  vain;  a  solitary  shot  from 
a  revolver,  and  then  all  was  silent.  Even  Jimmy  and  the 
mules  were  quiet,  and  after  a  while  we  ventured  to  converse 
in  low  tones,  wondering  if  the  Indians  had  gone,  or  were 
only  gathering  fresh  courage  to  make  a  more  determined 
and  desperate  attack. 

Thus  the  long  and  weary  hours  of  the  night  passed.  No 
sleep;  no  rest;  nothing  but  anxiety  and  suspense.  How 
impatiently  we  waited  for  the  morning  light;  how  many 


520  MR.  STEWARTS  REVENGE. 

times  we  asked  one  another,  what  it  would  reveal!  Were 
the  Indians  also  waiting  for  the  dawn  before  again  ventur 
ing  to  attack  us,  or  were  they  gone? 

Reader,  God  grant  that  you  may  never  know  the  horrors  of 
a  suspense  like  ours  that  night.  Morning  came  at  last,  and 
with  it  Mr.  Stewart,  quite  as  feeble,  and  looking  much  older 
than  we  had  ever  seen  him  before.  His  step  was  the  totter 
ing  step  of  age;  his  eye  no  longer  flashed  with  suppressed 
fire;  he  came  slowly  towards  us,  as  though  he  had  no  longer 
object  or  aim  in  life;  in  one  hand  he  carried  his  rifle,  and 
from  the  other  dangled  five  ghastly,  bleeding  scalps,  the 
result  of  his  endeavors  to  avenge  his  wrongs.  Seating  him 
self  upon  the  ground,  in  weak  and  trembling  tones,  he  said: 
"That's  all  I  could  get;  take  care  of  'em  for  me;"  nor 
did  we  ever  obtain  further  information  relative  to  his 
experience  that  night. 

An  examination  revealed  the  fact  that  two  of  our  animals 
had  been  slightly  wounded  by  arrows,  while  in  the  brush 
around  our  camp  we  found  seven  dead  bodies  and  three 
s  horses. 

Breakfast  over,  Sam  took  his  departure  for  Zuni,  wishing 
us  "Good  luck,"  as  carelessly  as  though  there  had  been  no 
Indians  within  a  hundred  miles  of  him,  and  none  the  worse 
for  the  adventures  of  the  night. 

His  departure  was  regretted  by  us  all  save  Jimmy,  who, 
shaking  his  head  in  a  most  significant  manner  as  Sam  disap- 


A  FRESH  START.  521 

peared  in  the  distance,  remarked,  "It  is  a  good  thing  the 
mon  lift  as  he  did,  fur  I  was  detarmined  to  hev  a  sittlemint 
wid  him  fur  the  disrespictful  manner  he  spoke  ter  me  in  yis- 
terday  night." 

An  hour  later  we  broke  camp,  and  started  once  again  upon 
the  road.  After  five  days  of  tedious  and  uneventful 
journeying  we  at  last  reached  the  high  swell  of  land  that 
marks  the  descent  to  the  valley  of  the  Rio  Bravo  del 
Norte.*  Arriving  upon  the  summit,  we  beheld  spread 
out  at  our  very  feet  the  beautiful  and  fertile  valley  of  the 
Bravo,  with  its  broad  and  placid  river  rolling  on  and  roll 
ing  ever,  until  it  finds  its  final  resting-place  in  the  bosom  of 
the  vast  Atlantic;  its  southerly  course  was  plainly  traceable 
for  a  score  or  more  of  miles,  by  the  magnificent  growth  of 
verdure  that  skirted  its  banks,  occasionally  relieved  by  the 
sight  of  some  of  the  many  towns  or  villages  peeping  out 
from  among  the  green  foliage,  until  the  whole  finally  melted 
away  in  the  indistinguishable  purple  haze  whieh  veiled  the 
dim  distance. 

Way  to  the  other  side  of  the  river  rose  the  lofty  peaks  of 
the  Sierra  Blanca,  partially  concealed  by  fleecy  clouds, 
while  far  to  the  north  were  to  be  seen  the  twin  peaks  of 
the  Santa  Fe  range,  their  tall  white  heads  towering  towards 
heaven,  as  though  striving  to  pierce  the  blue  canopy  which 

*  North  of  the  34rth  parallel  N.  Lat.,  the  Rio  Grande  is  called  by  all  denizens 
of  New  Mexico  the  Pdo  Bravo  del  Norte,  or,  Brave  Kiver  of  the  North. 
66 


522  "  THE  STATES"  IN  SIGHT. 

covered  them.  Involuntarily  we  paused  and  gazed  with 
rapturous  delight  upon  the  glorious  sight  before  us,  while 
we  uttered  a  prayer  of  thankfulness  at  being  once  more  per 
mitted  to  view  traces  of  civilization.  Even  Mr.  Stew 
art's  face  lighted  up  with  an  expression  of  satisfaction,  such 
as  I  had  never  seen  upon  it  before,  while  Jimmy  in  his  mad 
capers  seemed  almost  wild  with  joy,  as  he  boxed  his  patient 
mule's  ears  most  soundly  in  his  frantic  efforts  to  make  him 
appreciate  the  fact  that  it  was  the  ''States  that  wuz  a  lyin' 
before  him,  be  gorra!" 

A  ride  of  ten  miles  is  before  us  ere  we  shall  reach  the 
river's  bank,  and  the  sun  is  tinging  with  its  crimson  beauty 
the  neat  white  houses,  purple  vineyards,  and  waving  green 
corn-fields  of  Isletta  by  the  time  we  reach  our  old  camping- 
ground  near  the  town. 

Some  time  after  the  dim  shades  of  twilight  had  settled  over 
the  vine-covered  hills  and  peach-orchards  of  the  town,  the 
doctor  and  I  discovered  Jimmy,  who  had  wandered  some 
distance  below  the  camp,  standing  upon  the  river's  bank  and 
engaged  in  shaking  his  brawny  fists  at  its  placid  bosom, 
while  he  thus  apostrophized  its  yellow,  sandy  waters :  "Cawl 
that  wather,  will  yez?  It's  nothin'  but  a  strake  ov  saft  mud 
that's  pinethratin'  thi  landscape;  dhirty  mud,  too,  fit  only 
for  thim  corn-aitin*  Injuns  wid  their  dirthy  bazaque,  to 
dhrink!  I  hain't  afeared  ov  yez  any  more;  yez  scart  me 


BADLY  FRIGHTENED.  523 

Just  at  this  moment,  as  we  were  effectually  concealed  from 
Jimmy's  sight  by  the  thick  growth  of  willows  which  cov 
ered  the  river-bottom,  the  doctor  permitted  a  long,  low,  wail 
ing  moan  to  escape  his  lips,  as  nearly  as  he  could  imitate  the 
sound  which  Jimmy  had  once  called  my  attention  to,  when 
encamped  near  the  Carizo  Spring.  With  a  look  of  intense  hor- 
upon  his  face,  and  a  yell  that  would  have  done  credit  to  an 
Apache,  he  gave  a  tremendous  leap,  and  with  a  "Howly 
murther,  what  the  divil's  that!"  he  disappeared  very  sud 
denly  in  the  direction  of  camp,  where  I  arrived  in  time  to  hear 
him  caution  poor  old  Mr.  Stewart  against  "wandherin'  away 
frum  thi  camp,  ez  there  wuz  painters  in  thim  woods,"  point 
ing  to  the  little  copse  of  willows  not  more  than  five  or  six 
feet  in  height  where  we  had  been  concealed,  and  at  the  same 
time  informing  him  that  "whin  avenin'  come,"  he  "wuz 
goiu'  to  take  his  goon  and  go  a-hoontin'."  I  noticed,  how 
ever,  that  Jimmy  did  not  venture  out  of  camp  during  the 
evening,  and  when  he  spread  his  blankets,  it  was  beneath  the 
wagon,  a  precaution  which  he  said  was  taken  for  "protiction 
frum  the  avenin'  air." 

The  next  morning  the  doctor  called  my  attention  to  the 
growing  weakness  and  gradual  decline  of  Mr.  Stewart, 
remarking  that  if  it  were  possible  he  would  like  to  have  the 
opinion  of  Dr.  Cooper  —  the  army  surgeon  stationed  at  Fort 
Craig,  about  eighty-five  miles  below  us  —  upon  his  case.  We 
determined  therefore  to  follow  the  western  bank  of  the  Rio 


524  ADIEU  TO  DON  RAFAEL. 

Grande  down  to  that  place  where  we  knew  that  a  good  ford 
existed,  which  would  enable  us  to  cross  the  river  should  we 
desire  to  do  so. 

It  was  at  this  place  that  Don  Rafael  was  to  leave  us  to 
return  to  his  home  in  Albuquerque,  and  we  parted  from  him 
with  many  regrets,  and  thoroughly  convinced  that  Judge 
Baird's  warm  encomiums  upon  his  honesty  and  ability  had 
been  richly  deserved,  for  we  had  found  him  an  intelligent, 
faithful,  as  well  as  honest  guide,  a  rara  avis  in  that  country. 

Our  trip  down  the  river  was  a  most  tedious  one,  as  we 
were  obliged  to  travel  very  slowly,  accommodating  our 
movements  to  Mr.  Stewart's  enfeebled  condition;  and  not 
until  the  afternoon  of  the  third  clay  did  we  behold  the  wel 
come  sight  of  the  stars  and  stripes  as  they  floated  on  the 
breeze  from  the  staff  in  the  parade-ground  of  the  fort. 

Here  our  hearts  were  saddened  by  hearing  the  opinion 
pronounced  by  Dr.  Cooper,  whose  quick  eye  detected  at  a 
glance  that  Mr.  Stewart  was  slowly  dying,  and  that  it  would 
be  extremely  doubtful  if  he  ever  reached  Mesilla  alive. 

Five  days  later,  ere  we  had  made  ourselves  comfortable 
at  home,  calmly  and  as  peacefully  as  a  child,  the  old  man 
drew  his  last  breath,  happy  in  the  thought  and  belief  that  he 
should  cross  the  dark  waters  in  safety,  and  join  the  loved 
ones  on  the  other  shore,  whose  loss  he  had  so  truly  and  faith 
fully  mourned,  and  who  had  so  recently  preceded  him  to 
that  brighter  and  better  land  "eternal  in  the  heavens." 


DEATH  AND  BURIAL  OF  MR.  STEWART.      525 

We  buried  him  just  outside  the  town,  beneath  the 
spreading  branches  of  a  beautiful  American  elm,  and  there 
his  body  rests  to-day,  as  quietly  as  though  we  had  been  per 
mitted  to  place  it  in  consecrated  ground. 

The  last  sad  offices  performed,  I  wrote  to  the  post-master 
at  Los  Angeles,  requesting  him  to  send  me  the  address  of  one 
Parley  Stewart,  Jr.,  if  he  was  to  be  found  in  that  city  or 
vicinity;  and  three  weeks  from  the  day  that  we  buried  Mr. 
Stewart,  senior,  upon  the  banks  of  the  Rio  Grande,  I  received 
a  letter  stating  that  his  son  had  been  living  on,  and  was 
the  owner  of,  a  fine  ranche  about  three  miles  from  the 
city,  but  about  two  months  before  he  had  been  brutally 
murdered  by  a  couple  of  his  Mexican  herders  with  whom  it 
was  supposed  he  had  had  some  difficulty,  and  to  revenge 
either  a  real  or  fancied  wrong,  they  had  shot  him  in  his  own 
house.  The  letter  further  stated  that  he  had  left  a  handsome 
property,  awaiting  the  claim  of  his  relatives. 

But  where  were  they?  The  last  one  of  Parley  Stewart's 
family  had  undoubtedly  passed  away,  for  although  every  in 
quiry  was  made  by  me,  as  well  as  by  the  military  au 
thorities  stationed  in  the  Territory,  we  failed  to  obtain  the 
slightest  trace  of  the  two  girls  who  had  so  mysteriously  dis 
appeared  at  the  time  of  the  massacre.  They  either  wandered 
away  and  died  from  exposure  and  starvation,  or  were  cap 
tured  by  the  Indians,  and  after  being  obliged  to  endure  the 
most  fiendish  and  brutal  treatment,  as  well  as  terrible 


526  FATE  OF  M ANGUS   COLORADO. 

indignities,  were  cruelly  and  barbarously  tortured  to  death. 
In  either  event,  death  must  have  been  a  most  welcome 
relief  from  their  sufferings. 

Let  us  hope  that  this  unfortunate  family,  whose  history  I 
have  related  in  these  chapters,  have  all  crossed  the  deep 
waters  in  safety,  and  are,  at  last,  reunited  on  that  "shining 
shore,"  where  partings  are  unknown,  where  the  "wicked 
cease  from  troubling,  and  the  weary  are  at  rest." 

But  little  more  than  two  years  after  the  incidents  narrated 
in  this  work  occurred,  Mangus  Colorado,  the  chief  of  all 
the  Apaches,  was  invited  to  visit  Fort  McLane,  a  United 
States  military  post,  near  the  head  waters  of  the  Rio  Mim- 
bres,  for  the  purpose  of  making  a  treaty  and  receiving 
presents.  He  came  with  four  sub-chiefs  in  all  the  pomp  of 
savage  royalty;  gayly  decorated  with  eagles'  feathers  and 
brass  ornaments,  and  gaudily  painted  in  vermilion  and 
ochre. 

Upon  reaching  the  fort,  the  party  were  treacherously 
seized  and  imprisoned  in  the  guard-house ;  during  the  night 
the  sentry  purposely  unfastened  their  prison  door,  and  as  the 
chief  and  his  companions  were  endeavoring  to  avail  them 
selves  of  the  means  of  escape  thus  voluntarily  offered,  they 
were  deliberately  shot  down  by  the  soldiers  in  the  fort,  who 
had  been  stationed  for  that  purpose. 

The  base  and  treacherous  cruelty  of  this  act  roused  the 
whole  Apache  tribe  to  vengeance.  My  old  friend  and 


COCHISE  AGAIN.  527 

guide,  Cochise,  was  elected  principal  chief,  which  position  he 
held  until  his  death  in  1874. 

It  has  been  asserted,  that,  before  accepting  the  mantle  of 
Mangus  Colorado,  he  was  required  to  take  an  Indian  oath, 
that,  for  every  Apache  so  despicably  murdered  in  Fort  Mc- 
Lane,  a  hundred  white  men  should  die,  —  an  oath  which  has 
been  most  religiously  kept. 

Acting  under  his  directions,  the  Apaches  immediately  sep 
arated  into  small  bands,  rendezvousing  in  the  most  inaccessible 
portions  of  the  almost  impenetrable  mountain  fastnesses  so 
peculiar  to  this  portion  of  the  country.  From  these  "  lairs" 
they  swooped  down  upon  travellers,  or  raided  upon  the  set 
tlers,  killing,  burning,  and  destroying,  seemingly  actuated  by 

one  motive,  viz.,  the  destruction  of  the  entire  white  race. 

• 
It  is  a  somewhat  singular  coincidence,  that  not  alone  Man- 

gus  Colorado,  but  his  immediate  predecessor,  should  have  met 
his  death  through  treachery  on  the  part  of  Americans.  Such 
is  nevertheless  the  fact,  and  serves  to  account  in  some  man 
ner  for  the  terrible  revenge  taken  by  the  tribe  subsequent  to 
the  cowardly  murder  at  Fort  McLane. 

The  circumstances  were  these  :  In  the  year  1837,  the  gov 
ernment  of  Chihuahua,  in  order  to  put  a  stop  to  Apache 
depredations  in  that  state,  issued  what  was  called  a  Proyecto 
de  G-uerra,*  fixing  a  scale  of  prices  to  be  paid  by  the  govern 
ment  for  Apache  scalps,  also  declaring  that  any  booty  taken 

*  Proclamation  of  war. 


528  JUAN  JOS  A 

from  the  savages  should  become  the  property  of  the  captors. 
As  the  Apaches  at  that  time  were  supposed  to  possess  large 
quantities  of  gold  and  silver,  as  well  as  spoils  taken  from  the 
Mexicans,  the  proclamation  excited  the  cupidity  of  several 
Americans  residing  in  the  State,  who  organized  a  company 
of  some  thirty  persons,  officered  by  and  composed  largely 
of  their  own  nationality,  who  set  out  for  the  Apache 
country. 

A  few  days  after  their  departure,  they  came  upon  a  ranch- 
eria  of  some  fifty  warriors,  among  whom  was  the  famous  old 
head  chief,  Juan  Jose*.  Upon  seeing  the  party  approaching, 
Juan  rode  out  to  meet  them,  announcing,  that,  if  they  came 
with  hostile  intent,  he  and  his  warriors  were  ready  to  fight 
them.  The  leader  of  the  party  disclaimed  any  such  inten 
tion,  declaring  that  their  object  was  a  peaceful  one,  for  pur 
poses  of  trade  only.  Upon  receiving  this  declaration,  a 
friendly  greeting  was  extended,  and  the  warriors  visited  the 
Americans'  camp,  who  had  concealed  in  one  of  their  wagons 
a  small  field-piece,  loaded  almost  to  the  muzzle  with  chain 
and  canister  shot.  After  some  time  spent  in  talk,  they 
brought  forth  a  couple  of  bags  of  flour,  which  were  placed 
within  range  of  the  cannon,  and  the  Indians  invited  to  help 
themselves. 

While  engaged  in  dividing  the  present,  the  gun  was  dis 
charged,  and  a  number  of  them  killed.  Before  they  could 
recover  from  the  surprise  occasioned  by  the  attack,  the  Ameri- 


APACHE   CRUELTIES.  529 

cans  fell  upon  the  remainder,  and  succeeded  in  massacring 
nearly  the  entire  party,  including  Juan  Jose*. 

The  death  of  Mangus  Colorado  (the  second  head  chief 
murdered  by  American  treachery)  seemed  to  concentrate 
upon  the  white  race  all  the  hatred  in  the  Apaches'  nature ; 
and,  although  Cochise  profited  largely  by  the  foul  deed,  all 
his  former  friendship  became  changed  to  the  bitterest  enmity, 
as  though  by  the  touch  of  an  enchanter's  wand,  betraying 
until  his  death  a  hatred  far  surpassing  any  thing  ever  por 
trayed  in  fiction,  fighting  with  a  desperation  and  bravery,  and 
torturing  his  victims  with  a  vindictive  cruelty,  hitherto  un 
known  in  history. 

Women  whom  he  made  captives  were  subjected  to  a  fate 
worse  than  death ;  little  children  were  spitted  upon  spears, 
and  roasted  over  slow  fires ;  men  were  hung  by  the  heels, 
fires  kindled  beneath  their  heads,  and  pierced  with  arrows, 
gashed  with 'knives,  or  the  flesh  cut  from  their  bones  while 
still  living. 

Cochise  himself  signalized  his  accession  to  office  by  one  of 
the  most  daring  and  brutal  murders  ever  committed  before 
the  eyes  of  United-States  soldiers. 

Information  having  reached  Tucson,  that  he  was  encamped, 
with  a  small  party  of  warriors,  about  forty  miles  below  that 
place,  an  officer  with  thirty-five  soldiers,  an  interpreter  named 
Englehart,  and  the  Indian  agent,  were  sent  out  to  visit  the 
encampment,  with  instructions  to  ascertain,  if  possible,  his 
destination  and  intentions. 


530  ENGLE  HART'S  MURDER. 

It  is  said,  that,  before  starting,  Englehart  observed  that  he 
"  felt  as  though  he  was  going  to  pay  an  old  grudge  for  some 
one,  and  didn't  half  like  the  job." 

No  one  thought  any  thing  of  the  remark,  however  ;  and 
the  meeting  between  the  soldiers  and  the  Indians  was 
friendly,  and  lasted  several  hours.  Cochise  conversed  affably 
through  the  interpreter,  and  made  a  most  excellent  impres 
sion  upon  all. 

The  interview  being  over,  the  parties  mounted  their  horses, 
and  shook  hands  in  token  of  amity.  As  they  were  about  to 
separate,  Cochise  suddenly  leaned  over  in  his  saddle,  seized 
Englehart  by  the  collar,  and  pulled  him  off  from  the  horse  he 
was  riding,  over  and  across  his  own  ;  and,  with  a  yell  of  hatred 
and  defiance,  dashed  furiously  off  toward  the  mountains,  fol- 

• 

lowed  by  his  entire  band.  So  unexpected  was  the  attack, 
and  so  quickly  had  the  movement  been  executed,  that  before 
the  soldiers  realized  the  situation,  or  the  commanding  officer 
had  sufficiently  recovered  his  presence  of  mind  to  order  a 
charge,  the  fugitive  had  gained  some  distance.  Englehart 
had  been  taken  at  a  great  disadvantage,  but,  determined  to 
sell  his  life  as  dearly  as  possible,  he  made  a  desperate 
attempt  to  draw  his  revolver,  and  had  almost  succeeded  in 
doing  it,  when  Cochise,  by  main  strength,  drew  him  up  in 
front  of  him  in  such  a  manner,  that,  in  spite  of  the  most 
determined  resistance,  he  was  able  to  stab  him  several  times 
in  the  neck  and  back  ;  then,  although  his  horse  was  running 


A  SILVER   BULLET.  531 

over  a  broken  and  rocky  country,  he  deliberately  scalped  his 
victim,  and  throwing  the  bleeding,  mutilated  body  to  the 
ground,  flaunted  the  ghastly  trophy  he  had  secured  in  the 
very  face  of  his  pursuers,  and  with  a  shout  of  triumph  and 
derision  disappeared  in  one  of  the  mountain  denies  without 
the  loss  of  a  man. 

A  large  reward  was  immediately  offered  for  the  capture  of 
the  murderer  dead  or  alive  ;  and  a  small  army  of  frontiers 
men,  actuated  as  much  by  a  desire  for  revenge  as  by  a  hope 
of  obtaining  the  promised  guerdon,  took  the  field  in  pursuit 
of  the  daring  murderer. 

Cochise  found  no  difficulty  in  evading  their  cleverly-laid 
schemes  for  his  capture,  continuing  his  work  of  rapine  and 
murder  so  successfully,  that  the  superstitious  began  to  believe 
him  protected  by  the  foul  fiend  himself.  The  most  expert 
marksmen,  men  whose  rifles  had  never  been  known  to  miss 
before,  shot  wide  of  the  mark  when  aimed  point  blank  at 
Cochise  ;  and  some  of  the  best  scouts  in  the  country  did  not 
hesitate  to  assert  that  "  nothing  but  a  silver  bullet  would 
ever  kill  him." 

Most  frontiersmen  are  advocates  of  the  doctrine  of  destiny  ; 
and  so  generally  was  this  assertion  believed,  that  it  was  no 
unusual  thing  for  "  good  marksmen  "  to  refuse  to  fire  at  him. 

Aware  of  the  fact  that  our  Government  was  engaged  in  a 
struggle  for  its  own  existence,  and  realizing  that  it  must  of 
necessity  permit  its  frontiers  to  remain  in  a  measure  unpro- 


I 

532  GEN.    CROOK. 

tected,  he  seized  his  advantage  with  a  comprehension  that 
was  indeed  surprising  to  all. 

Shortly  after  the  close  of  our  Civil  War,  Brig.-Gen.  George 
Crook  was  appointed  to  the  command  of  the  military  depart 
ment  in  Arizona,  and  immediately  took  the  field  in  person 
against  this  most  redoubtable  chief,  whose  desperate  daring, 
shrewd  cunning,  and  diabolical  cruelty,  have  fairly  and 
honestly  earned  for  him  the  reputation  of  being  the  bravest 
as  well  as  most  sagacious  and  barbarous  Indian  chief  that 
has  lived  upon  American  soil  within  the  past  two  centuries. 

Although  an  experienced  Indian  fighter,  Gen.  Crook  found 
it  impossible  to  properly  garrison,  with  the  small  force  at  his 
command,  the  vast  extent  of  country  over  which  the 
Apaches  roamed  ;  while  the  arid  and  barren  nature  of  the 
soil,  together  with  its  peculiar  configuration,  enabled  his 
wary  adversary  to  render  futile  every  aggressive  movement 
against  him.  Gen.  Crook  persevered,  however,  in  the  face  of 
the  greatest  difficulties,  for  years,  resorting  to  every  means  in 
his  power  to  rid  the  country  of  the  scourge  which  for  so  many 
centuries  had  devastated  its  thriving  settlements,  ruined  its 
industries,  and  depleted  its  population. 

Cochise  ever  refused  to  entertain  any  proposition  looking 
toward  a  cessation  of  hostilities ;  and  it  was  only  after  long 
continued  ill  health  and  old  age  incapacitated  him  from 
longer  leading  his  warriors  in  person,  that  he  reluctantly 
assented  to  a  peace,  and,  with  the  remnant  of  his  band,  sub- 


DEATH  OF  COCHISE.  533 

mitted  to  be  removed  to  a  reservation  selected  for  them  in 
the  southern  portion  of  the  Territory,  where  they  remain  to 
the  present  time,  subdued  but  not  conquered,  a  constant 
source  of  trouble  to  the  Government,  requiring  the  greatest 
vigilance  to  prevent  them  from  forsaking  their  reservation, 
and  continuing  their  raids  in  force,  upon  the  people  of  the 
Territory  as  well  as  upon  those  of  the  Mexican  States  of 
Chihuahua  and  Sonora,  that  for  so  many  years  have  been  the 
scene  of  their  frequent  and  successful  forays. 

It  was  in  June,  1874,  that  Cochise  died.  He  did  not 
meet  death  upon  the  battlefield  where  he  had  so  often  sought 
it,  surrounded  by  his  trusty  warriors,  in  the  full  possession  of 
savage  pride  and  barbarous  authority ;  nor  was  the  last 
sound  that  fell  upon  his  ears  the  ringing  war-whoop  that  had 
so  often  carried  consternation  and  death  to  the  hated  white 
race  ;  but  shorn  of  strength  and  power,  humiliated  by  de 
feat,  crippled  by  old  age,  and  racked  by  the  torments  of 
inflammatory  rheumatism,  he  lay  for  months  upon  his  couch  of 
bear-skins,  unable  to  move  hand  or  foot  ;  a  prey  to  torture 
more  acute  than  even  his  devilish  ingenuity  had  ever  devised 
for  the  scores  of  victims  who  had  perished  by  his  hand,  and 
who  he  imagined,  in  his  last  moments,  were  standing  beside 
him,  and  inflicting  upon  him  the  agonizing  tortures  he  suf 
fered. 

.- 

Thus  died,  at  the  age  of  nearly  seventy  years,  one  of  the 
most  remarkable  characters  of  modern  times,  whose  name 


534  WHAT   THE  SPANIARD  SAID. 

will  be  remembered  with  execrations  in  Arizona  for  the  next 
century. 

In  bravery  he  had  no  equal,  in  strategy  no  superior ; 
while  in  vindictiveness,  barbarity,  and  cruelty  his  name  will 
ever  stand  prominent  among  the  long  list  of  Indian  chieftains 
whose  bloody  deeds  blot  the  fair  page  of  American  history. 

Well-authenticated  documents  in  the  possession  of  the 
War  Department  show  the  number  of  victims  known  to  have 
perished  by  his  individual  hand,  at  the  almost  incredible 
number  of  a  hundred  and  eight ;  of  whom  more  than 
seventy  were  white  persons,  twenty-six  Mexicans  and  half- 
breeds,  and  the  remainder  members  of  his  own  tribe. 

The  history  of  the  Apache  has  for  centuries  been  the  same 
undeviating  record  of  cruelty,  rapine,  and  bloodshed,  coupled 
with  treachery,  crafty  dealing,  and  duplicity. 

Our  own  government  can  affirm  the  truth  of  the  words  of 
the  old  Spanish  historian,  Miguel  Venegas,  who,  in  1758, 
said  of  them,  "  These  Apaches  make  treaties,  but  only  for 
the  amusement  of  breaking  them  when  it  suits  their  conven 
ience." 

Baron  Humboldt  in  his  "  Essays  of  New  Spain,"  published 
in  1803,  also  adds  his  testimony  regarding  them  in  these 
words :  "  Neither  the  soldiers  stationed  in  the  presidios,  nor 
the  monks  posted  in  the  neighboring  missions,  have  been 
hitherto  able  to  make  the  conquest  over  them." 

Indeed,  experience  appears  to  have  demonstrated  that  the 


THE  FUTURE    OF  ARIZONA.  535 

Apaches  can  neither  be  Christianized  nor  civilized.  They  are 
the  only  tribe  who  refused  to  receive  the  proffered  cross 
from  the  hands  of  good  old  Father  Kino  in  1670,  nor  have 
they  accepted  it  since  that  time  ;  and  I  am  confident  their 
history  will  warrant  the  assertion,  that,  until  they  are  com 
pletely  exterminated,  the  fertile  valleys  of  Arizona  will 
never  wave  with  golden  grain,  her  beautiful  uplands  be  cov 
ered  with  herds  of  lowing  cattle,  her  vast  alkali  plains  be 
utilized,  her  lofty  mountain-peaks  echo  the  hoarse  whistle  of 
the  silver-smelting  furnace,  or  the  smoke  ascend  from  the 
hearthstones  of  a  happy,  prosperous  people. 

Never,  until  then,  will  the  great  mineral  wealth  of  the 
Territory  be  properly  developed,  her  rocky  fastnesses  thor 
oughly  explored,  her  rich  gold-placers  worked,  and  the  pre 
cious  stones  that  now  lie  unsought  among  the  rough  pebbles 
of  her  mountain  streams  be  brought  to  yield  their  lustrous 
beauty  for  the  adornment  of  her  fair  daughters. 

When  this  has  been  accomplished,  I  have  no  doubt  but 
A  rizona  will  be  found  to  be  the  very  treasure-house  of  this 
great  Republic. 

After  repeated  failures,  the  friends  of  Arizona,  in  Feb 
ruary,  1863,  succeeded  in  securing  the  passage  of  a  bill  by 
Congress,  separating  it  from  New  Mexico,  and  creating  for  it 
a  distinct  government.  (See  Appendix  A.) 

The  following  month  President  Lincoln  appointed  ter 
ritorial  officers  ;  and  on  Dec.  29  of  the  same  year  the  offi- 


536         ORGANIZATION  OF   THE    TERRITORY. 

cials  reached  the  Territory,  and  formally  inaugurated  the 
government  at  Navajoe  Springs,  forty  miles  west  of  the 
ancient  pueblo  of  Zuni.  (See  Appendix  B  for  list  of  officers.) 

In  July,  1864,  an  election  was  held  for  a  delegate  to  Con 
gress,  and  members  of  the  Legislature ;  and,  on  the  26th  of 
September  following,  that  body  convened  at  Prescott,  a 
town  just  laid  out  at  a  point  one  hundred  and  fifty-five 
miles  due  east  from  the  Colorado  River. 

The  new  Territory,  embracing  an  area  of  120,912  square 
miles  (or  77,383,680  acres),  was  divided  into  four  counties, 
which  were  named  after  the  friendly  tribes  of  Indians  who 
resided  within  their  respective  limits;  viz.,  Pimo,  Yuna, 
Mohave,  and  Yavapai. 

The  preliminary  steps  having  been  taken,  courts  were 
organized,  public  buildings  erected,  schools  established,  and 
all  the  machinery  of  government  put  into  successful  opera 
tion. 

Under  the  able  direction  of  Gen.  Crook,  military  posts  for 
the  protection  of  the  inhabitants  were  judiciously  located ; 
and  after  a  few  years  the  greater  portion  of  the  Indians  were 
collected  upon  reservations  under  government  surveillance, 
thereby  affording  opportunity  for  exploration,  and  far  greater 
advantages  for  ascertaining  and  developing  the  varied  re 
sources  of  the  country  than  had  heretofore  been  enjoyed. 

Thus  far,  the  explorations  have  been  limited,  revealing 
little  that  is  new,  although  tending  to  show,  by  the  most  con- 


URBAN  ANTIQUITIES.  537 

elusive  evidence,  that  nearly  the  whole  area  of  the  Territory 
was  formerly  settled  by  a  vast  population  far  advanced  in 
civilization,  who,  like  the  early  dwellers  in  New  Mexico,  have 
entirely  disappeared,  leaving  behind  them  no  written  history. 

Within  the  past  few  months,  extensive  ruins  have  been 
discovered  in  the  Ancha  Mountains,  which  are  in  a  far  better 
state  of  preservation  than  any  previously  known  in  the  Ter 
ritory  ;  and  the  remains  of  several  large  arastras,  found  in 
their  immediate  vicinity,  would  seem  to  indicate  that  the 
inhabitants  must  have  been  familiar  with  the  science  of 
reducing  silver  ore. 

Articles  of  painted  pottery,  knives  of  tempered  copper, 
pipes,  &c.,  have  been  found  at  a  depth  of  more  than  a  hun 
dred  and  fifty  feet  beneath  the  surface  of  the  earth ;  and 
upon  the  Rio  Verde  are  immense  rooms,  excavated  high  up 
in  its  perpendicular  banks  of  sandstone  ;  in  other  portions  of 
the  Territory,  rocks  have  been  found  covered  with  hie 
roglyphics,  which  have  as  yet  been  undeciphered. 

It  is  to  be  hoped,  that,  when  these  vast  ruins  can  be  prop 
erty  excavated,  discoveries  will  be  made  that  will  throw  more 
light  upon  their  early  history ;  and  it  would  seem  eminently 
proper  that  these  explorations  should  be  undertaken  by  the 
general  Government,  with  a  view  to  ascertaining  the  real 
facts  concerning  the  early  settlement  of  this  portion  of  our 
country,  which  bears  the  most  irrefragable  proof  of  having 
been  made  more  than  a  thousand  years  ago. 


538  PEESENT  CONDITION. 

Should  the  reader  ask  upon  what  evidence  we  venture  to 
make  this  assertion,  we  have  only  to  carry  him  to  the  Moqui 
towns  mentioned  in  a  previous  chapter,  and  bid  him  examine 
for  himself  the  paths  between  the  villages,  worn  deep  into 
the  solid  rock  by  the  moccasined  feet  of  the  inhabitants ; 
then  let  him  tell  us,  if  he  can,  how  many  centuries  have 
elapsed  since  these  stony  ways  were  first  trodden  by  the  foot 
of  man. 

Since  the  organization  of  the  Territory,  every  year  is 
adding  valuable  evidence  relative  to  the  immense  mineral 
wealth  of  Arizona,  and  proving  that  the  deposits  of  gold, 
silver,  copper,  and  lead  within  her  borders  are  unsurpassed 
in  extent  and  richness  by  any  in  the  known  world.  Post 
roads  have  been  located,  towns  are  springing  up,  new  mines 
being  discovered,  and  old  ones  re-opened.  But  the  distance 
from  any  available  market,  together  with  the  frequency  of 
Indian  outrages,  tends  in  a  great  measure  to  check  the  flow 
of  emigration  to  the  Territory •;  thus  the  broad  and  fertile 
bottoms  of  the  rivers,  which,  decades  of  years  since,  were 
under  successful  cultivation,  are  at  the  present  time  untilled ; 
and  lands  that  might  be  made  to  yield  two  crops  of  cereals 
in  a  year,  or,  if  properly  cultivated,  bring  forth  fine  crops  of 
cotton,  rice,  and  sugar-cane,  are  now  barren  plains,  covered 
ronly  with  the  suwarrow,*  the  amole,f  the  maguay,J  or 
the  mesquite.§ 

*  Cerus  Grande.  t  Soap-plant. 

J  American  Aloe.  §  Gum-arabic  tree. 


ITS    FUTURE.  539 

This  is  particularly  noticeable  in  the  valleys  of  the  Verde 
and  Colorado  Chiquito  in  Central  Arizona,  where  tracts  of 
valuable  land  are  open  to  settlement  at  the  present  time 
(1876)  under  the  homestead  or  pre-emption  laws  of  the 
United  States,  offer  rare  opportunities  for  thousands  of  our 
citizens  to  secure  homes  in  a  territory  where  the  climate, 
soil,  mineral  resources,  and  facilities  for  stock-raising  can 
not  be  surpassed  by  any  other  section  of  our  country. 

These  lands  are  within  a  comparatively  short  distance  of 
the  seat  of  government,  which  has  recently  been  located  at 
Phoenix,  a  thriving  town  upon  the  Saline  River,  about  twenty- 
five  miles  above  its  confluence  with  the  Gila.  Most  of  the 
supplies  destined  for  use  in  the  territory  are  obtained  in  east 
ern  cities,  and  shipped  to  the  terminus  of  the  Kansas  Pacific 
Railroad,  thence  by  wagons,  ma  Albuquerque,  New  Mexico. 

Two  transcontinental  charters  exist  for  railroads  through 
the  Territory ;  and  it  is  confidently  asserted  that  within  the 
next  five  years,  iron  rails  will  span  the  territory  from  its 
eastern  to  its  western  boundary ;  until  then  the  inhabitants 
must  of  necessity  suffer  the  inconveniences  and  privations  in 
variably  attending  all  settlements  in  a  new  country.  When 
Arizona  can  enjoy  the  benefits  resulting  from  railroad  facili 
ties  she  will  astonish  the  world  by  the  variety  and  value  of 
her  productions. 

And  now,  if  the  reader  will  pardon  the  digression,  we  will 
return  to  our  old  friend  Jimmy,  who,  before  we  had  been 
in  Mesilla  a  week  after  our  return  from  the  "  Bravo,"  ap- 


540  JIMMY  AGAIN. 

peared  hat  in  hand  at  my  door,  and  looking  very  foolish, 
asked  for  a  "  say  ere  t  interview."  It  was  readily  accorded, 
when  he  informed  me  that  he  was  about  to  marry  "  a  swate 
little  gurrl  he  hed  mit  the  day  before,  and  sittle  down  per 
manently." 

I  ventured  to  suggest  that  a  longer  acquaintance  might  be 
desirable  ;  but  he  answered  my  remonstrances  by  exclaiming, 
"  Wait  a  while  ago,  and  I'll  bring  her  till  yez  see  her  fur  yez- 
silf." 

As  in  duty  bound,  I  waited,  and  in  a  few  minutes  he 
returned,  bringing  with  him  as  pretty  a  little  black-eyed 
senorita  as  ever  saw  the  dawn  of  her  sixteenth  summer ;  and 
then  he  asked,  with  a  sly  wink,  "  If  yez  was  in  moi  place, 
would  yez  wait  a  while  ?  "  What  should  I  have  answered, 
gentle  reader  ?  To  be  sure,  Juanita  couldn't  pronounce  a 
word  of  English,  nor  could  Jimmy  speak  an  intelligible 
sentence  of  Spanish ;  but  he  thought  "  he  cud  do  the  motions 
powerful  will,"  he  said.*  So  he  married  her  that  day,  and 
immediately  took  up  his  abode  in  her  mother's  jacal  upon  the 
banks  of  the  Acequia  Madre,  in  close  proximity  to  my  own 
residence  ;  and  when  I  was  leaving  the  country,  a  few  months 
later,  Jimmy  informed  me  that  he'd  "  always  been  moightj 
glad  he  spaked  az  he  did,  because  you  see,  ef  I'd  hed  enny- 
body  forninst  me,  she  tould  me  wid  her  own  tongue,  that 
she'd  niver  a  thought  o'  the  likes  o'  misilf."  Five  years 
later,  as  I  was  passing  down  Broadway,  N.Y.,  one  pleasant 
September  morning,  I  met  Jimmy  face  to  face. 


THE    OLD  STORY. 


541 


He  was  evidently  delighted  to  see  me,  for  he  fairly 
whooped  and  danced  with  delight ;  his  gyrations  strongly 
resembling  those  indulged  in  by  a  band  of  Apache  warriors, 
previous  to  seating  themselves  for  a  feast  of  mule-meat. 


When  I  ventured  to  remind  him  that  he  was  in  the  great 
city  of  Gotham,  and  that  his  actions  were  attracting  the 
attention  of  the  passers-by,  he  looked  at  the  curious  crowd 
that  had  gathered  aronnd  us,  and  said,  "  Will,  ef  it  isn't  cus- 
thomery  to  be  glad  to  sae  a  mon,  I'll  be  ez  aisy  ez  I  kin." 

As  soon  as  he  would  answer  my  questions,  I  learned  that 
he  expected  to  sail  the  following  -day  for  his  old  home  in 
Ireland.  I  inquired  for  his  wife,  pretty  little  Juanita,  and 


542  HAIL  AND  FAREWELL. 

learned  —  Well,  it  was  the  old  story  of  man's  perfidy  and 
woman's  fickleness. 

The  next  day  I  saw  Jimmy  on  board  the  steamer,  as  happy 
as  a  boy  could  be,  at  the  thought  of  returning  to  "  ould 
Ireland ;  "  and  if  any  of  my  readers  should  ever  chance  to  visit 
that  "  green  isle  of  the  sea,"  and  pass  through  the  parish  of 
Bandon  in  the  County  of  Cork,  let  them  inquire  for  Jimmy 
Hurly,  an  honest  blacksmith's  son,  and,  my  word  for  it,  they 
will  receive  as  warm  a  welcome  as  ever  greeted  stranger  "  on 
a  foreign  shore." 

When  the  news  of  the  firing  on  Sumter  reached  the  quiet 
Valley  of  La  Mesilla,  Dr.  Parker  and  myself  decided  to 
turn  our  faces  eastward.  Securing  seats  in  one  of  Butter- 
field's  overland  coaches,  a  little  more  than  two  weeks  saw 
us  in  the  busy  city  of  St.  Louis  in  Missouri ;  and  a  few  days 
later  the  doctor  and  myself  parted,  he  going  to  his  home  in 
old  Virginia,  and  I  to  mine  among  the  sterile  hills  of  New 
England. 

I  never  saw  him  after  we  bade  one  another  adieu  at  the 
old  "  Planters." 

He  had  scarcely  reached  his  home  ere  he  was  tendered  an 
appointment  as  surgeon  in  the  Confederate  army,  and  three 
years  later  he  met  his  fate  during  an  engagement  with  our 
forces  in  Louisiana. 

I  learned  of  his  death  with  sincere  regret ;  for  he  was  an 
honest  man,  a  genial  and  pleasant  companion,  and  a  true 
friend.  Would  there  were  more  like  him  ! 


HAIL  AND  FAREWELL.  543 

And  now,  gentle  reader,  you  and  I  will  part. 

If  these  pages  have  served  to  entertain  as  well  as  inform 
you,  it  is  possible  that  we  may  some  time  meet  again :  if 
otherwise,  I  take  you  by  the  hand,  with  a  HAIL  AND 
FAREWELL. 


THE   END. 


APPENDIX. 
A. 

THE    ORGANIC    ACT. 

AN  ACT  to  provide  a  Temporary  Government  for  the  Territory  of  Arizona, 
and  for  other  Purposes. 

BE  IT  ENACTED  BY  THE  SENATE  AND  HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES 
OF  THE  UNITED  STATES  OF  AMERICA,  IN  CONGRESS  ASSEMBLED  : 
That  all  that  part  of  the  present  Territory  of  New  Mexico  situate  west 
of  a  line  running  due  south  from  the  point  where  the  south-west  corner 
of  the  Territory  of  Colorado  joins  the  northern  boundary  of  the  Terri 
tory  of  New  Mexico  to  the  southern  boundary  line  of  said  Territory  of 
New  Mexico,  be,  and  the  same  is  hereby,  erected  into  a  temporary  gov 
ernment  by  the  name  of  the  Territory  of  Arizona  :  Provided,  that 
nothing  contained  in  the  provisions  of  this  act  shall  be  construed  to 
prohibit  the  Congress  of  the  United  States  from  dividing  said  Territory, 
or  changing  its  boundaries  in  such  manner,  and  at  such  time,  as  it  may 
deem  proper  :  Provided  further,  that  said  government  shall  be  main 
tained  and  continued  until  such  time  as  the  people  residing  in  said 
Territory  shall,  with  the  consent  of  Congress,  form  a  State  government, 
republican  in  form,  as  prescribed  in  the  Constitution  of  the  United 

545 


546  APPENDIX. 

States,  and  apply  for  and  obtain  admission  into  the  Union  as  a  State,  on 
an  equal  footing  with  the  original  States. 

SECTION  2.  And  be  it  further  enacted,  that  the  government  hereby 
authorized  shall  consist  of  an  executive,  legislative,  and  judicial  power. 
The  executive  power  shall  be  vested  in  a  governor.  The  legislative 
power  shall  consist  of  a  council  of  nine  members,  and  a  house  of  repre 
sentatives  of  eighteen.  The  judicial  power  shall  be  vested  in  a  supreme 
court,  to  consist  of  three  judges,  and  such  inferior  courts  as  the  legisla 
tive  council  may  by  law  prescribe  ;  there  shall  also  be  a  secretary,  a 
marshal,  a  district-attorney,  and  a  surveyor-general  for  said  Territory, 
who,  together  with  the  governor,  and  judges  of  the  supreme  court,  shall 
be  appointed  by  the  president,  by  and  with  the  advice  and  consent  of 
the  Senate  ;  and  the  term  of  office  for  each,  the  manner  of  their  appoint 
ment,  and  the  powers,  duties,  and  the  compensation  of  the  governor, 
legislative  assembly,  judges  of  the  supreme  court,  secretary,  marshal, 
district-attorney,  and  surveyor-general  aforesaid,  with  their  clerks, 
draughtsman,  deputies,  and  sergeant- at-arms,  shall  be  such  as  are  con 
ferred  upon  the  same  officers  by  the  Act  organizing  the  territorial 
government  of  New  Mexico,  which  subordinate  officers  shall  be  appointed 
in  the  same  manner,  and  not  exceed  in  number  those  created  by  said 
act ;  and  acts  amendatory  thereto,  together  with  all  legislative  enact 
ments  of  the  Territory  of  New  Mexico  not  inconsistent  with  the  pro 
visions  of  this  act,  are  hereby  extended  to  and  continued  in  force  in  the 
said  Territory  of  Arizona,  until  repealed  or  amended  by  future  legisla 
tion  :  Provided,  that  no  salary  shall  be  due  or  paid  the  officers  created 
by  this  act,  until  they  have  entered  upon  the  duties  of  their  respective 
offices  within  the  said  Territory. 

SECT.  3.  And  be  it  further  enacted,  that  there  shall  neither  be  slavery 
nor  involuntary  servitude  in  the  said  Territory,  otherwise  than  in  the 


APPENDIX.  547 

punishment  of  crimes  whereof  the  parties  shall  have  been  duly  con 
victed  ;  and  all  acts  and  parts  of  acts,  either  of  Congress,  or  of  the 
Territory  of  Xew  Mexico,  establishing,  regulating,  or  in  any  way  recog 
nizing  the  relation  of  master  and  slave  in  said  Territory,  are  hereby 
repealed. 

APPROVED  Feb.  24,  1863. 


548 


APPENDIX. 


B. 

THE  FIKST  OFFICERS  OF  THE  TERRITORY, 

1863. 


POSITION. 

NAME. 

WHERE  FBOM. 

LOCATION. 

Governor 

JOHN  N  GOODWIN 

Maine 

Pre^cott 

Secretary     •          «  .  . 

RICHARD  C.  MCCOKMICK*. 

New  York     . 

« 

Chief-Justice  

WILLIAM  F.  TUBNEB  

Iowa  

« 

Associate  Justice.  .  .  . 

it                          11 

WILLIAM  T.  HOWELL  
JOSEPH  P.  ALLYN  

Michigan  .... 
Connecticut.  . 

Tucson. 
La  Paz. 

District  Attorney 

ALMON  GAGE 

New  York 

Prescott 

Surveyor-General  .  .  . 

LEVI  BASHFORD  

Wisconsin 

Tucson. 

Marshal 

MILTON  B  DUFFIELD 

California 

tt 

Supt.  Indian  Affairs. 

CHABLES  D.  POSTON  t  

Kentucky  .  .  . 

n 

*  Delegate  representing  Arizona  in  Congress  at  the  present  time, 
t  First  Delegate  to  Congress,  elected  May  26,  1864. 


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io  every  one  teaching  design."  —  Neiv-England  Journal  of  Education. 

"  Mr.  Barry  is  an  artist  of  eminent  ability,  excelling  especially  as  a  draughtsman; 
And  his  experience  as  a  teacher  is  made  available  in  presenting  with  force,  precision, 
ind  clearness,  the  principles  and  laws  which  he  undertakes  to  inculcate.  As  a  text 
book  it  will  prove  very  serviceable,  and  we  should  be  very  glad  to  see  its  value  recog 
nized  in  our  public  schools."  —  Epitome  of  Literature,  Philadelphia. 

ELEMENTS   OF   DESIGN. 

i-'or  the  use  of  Teachers  and  Parents.  By  Dr.  WILLIAM  RIMMER,  Boston  Art  School 
(Museum  of  Fine  Arts).  48  full-page  illustrations.  Cloth.  Net,  $2.00.  B> 
mail,  $2.25. 

Dr.  Rimmer's  manual  exemplifies  a  method  of  teaching  drawing  founded  on  the  idea 
Mat  it  does  not  signify  merely  an  imitation  of  forms,  but  that  it  aims  mainly  to  repro 
duce  expression.  It  is  a  bold  and  attractive  Drawing-Guide,  which,  taking  the  human 
form  as  a  model,  gradually  unfolds  from  the  simplest  lines  to  the  full  anatomical  sub 
ject,  the  elements  of  figure-drawing,  in  all  their  variety  of  hmb,  feature,  muscle,  ana 
form,  rendering  easy  of  comprehension  every  intervening  step.  It  is  a  work  invalua 
ble  to  the  student  and  the  artist. 


For  sale  by  all  booksellers  and  newsdealers,  and  sent  by  mail,  postpaid,  on 
receipt  of  price. 

LEE  &  SHEPARD,  Publishers Boston. 

C.  T.  DILLINGHAM  .  .  New  York. 


14  DAY  USE 

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